Revenge in the snow
by The Astronomer Brony
Summary: Simon and Baz are living a 'normal' life together. But when someone from their past returns for revenge, what choice do they have but to be thrust right into the fight?
1. Chapter 1

Simon looked at Baz. Baz looked at Simon. Penelope looked at both of them. The atmosphere was thick and heavy, filled with shock and hurt. Baz's mouth hung open, looking as if he had just been slapped. It made his fangs pop. Simon was equally shocked at the words that had just come out of his mouth. Baz narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth, standing angrily. He turned and began putting on his coat.

"Baz, I didn't mean it like that-" started Simon, but was cut off.

"Like what?" Yelled Baz, turning dramatically. "What were you trying to say, Snow?" He hissed. Ouch, he only called Simon that when he was really pissed or really startled. It was his tell.

"Nothing! It just...slipped" said Simon, staring at his plate.  
"I just slipped"

"Yes, you did. I'm going to go hunt" he mumbled, slamming the door behind him. Simon sighed and put his head in his hands, causing his golden hair to fall in his eyes. His tail lashed around slightly, thumping rhythmically against the wall. Nobody said anything until Penny stood shakily.

"Well, I think I'll just be going..."

"Pen, please. Just- what did I do so wrong?" Asked Simon, his voice cracking.  
"Well for one, asking Baz not to be so gay in public..." she said sarcastically. Simon rolled his eyes.

"That is not what I said"

"Isn't it?"

"No! I just said I didn't like him being so affectionate in public!" He half shouted. He leaned down and grabbed his tail to keep it from thumping too loudly against the wall and annoying the neighbors. Again.

"Simon" said Penny softly. "You have to imagine how that felt for him" she explained.

"Yeah, it made him feel like I didn't like to admit I'm gay. Yadda yadda ya-"

"No! You pretty much just told him he embarrasses you!" Interrupted Penny quickly. "He gets enough of that from his family as is" she huffed after a minute. Simon cursed himself.

"God how could I have not known that? How thick can I get?" He whispered. Penny smiled and patted his head.

"Pretty thick. Now go out there and find the one person you love most in the world"  
And he did.

"Baz? Baz are you out here?" Hissed Simon through clenched teeth. God it was cold out here. Snow was piled at least a foot from the ground. When he didn't hear anything, Simon went on, trudging through the trees. They had found a small cabin with a large, cheap, private forest behind it. Baz's private feeding grounds. God, how could he have said that? Simon growled and kicked a rock, then hopping up and down, cursing loudly.

"Christ, Snow! You'll scare off all of the livestock!" Hissed a voice to his right. Simon jumped back and saw Baz's figure leaning against a tree. All he was wearing was a light jacket, and yet he acted as though he couldn't feel the cold. On second thought, he probably couldn't, being undead and what not. Simon breathed a sigh of relief, which turned into a cloud blocking his vision. He rushed forward and hugged Baz suddenly, causing him to take a sharp intake of breath. Baz tried to keep his arms at his sides, but couldn't resist wrapping his arms back around Simon. He was so warm. That was Snow for you, always warm, full of heat and life. The opposite of Baz.

"I'm sorry" Simon said into Baz's shoulder, making it come out muffled. Baz tried not to lean into the heat, but it was a struggle.

"It's okay, just..." he said trailing off.

"Just...?" Echoed Simon.

"I don't know" said Baz, breaking away. "Just, are you sure you still want this? Want me?" He asked turning away and staring at the sky. He held himself back from jumping when he felt Simon's hands on his back. Then his mouth on his ear.

"Of course I still want this. And you" he whispered. Baz snorted, cringing. Simon knew he hated people touching his neck. Simon laughed and took Baz's hand, pulling him down until they were both sitting in the snow. Simon started shivering quickly, so Baz lit a fire in his palm, holding it close.

"Put that out! I swear, one day you'll light yourself on fire, and I won't do a thing" claimed Simon, for the thousandth time, swatting Baz's hand. Baz laughed and wrapped an arm around Simon and holding up his other hand. Small snakes of fire wound themselves around his fingers. Simon rolled his eyes.

"Come off it, Simon. You'd 'stop drop and roll' me to death, then cry for a while." Said Baz, leaning into his lover until they both fell into the snow, laughing.

"And you're saying you wouldn't do the same?" Asked Simon, faking surprise. He leaned down and kissed the top of Baz's head.

"I'm not saying that at all. I'd cry like a baby if I lost you" replied Baz, leaning up and kissing Simons jaw. The two laughed and lied back, holding each other's hands. They sat in silence, staring at the sky and breathing in the cold air. After a few minutes, Baz started laughing. Simons head whipped around, staring in bewilderment at his cackling boyfriend.

"What are you doing?" Simon asked slowly after Baz had calmed down. Baz looked over at him, wiping at a stray tear.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about... everything. Remember back in our first year when you went to the mage and demanded a new roommate? And you told me you would sleep in the bathtub every night with the door locked because you didn't want to sleep in the same room?" He asked, watching Simon wrinkle his nose and laugh, nodding. "Remember how that lasted for about two hours until you came trudging out of the bathroom, and held up your hand, placing your other one on your hip, and said, in a very sassy tone, 'not one word'?" And Simon laughed harder.

"Was I a little thug or what?" He asked, running his thumb in small circles along the back of Baz's hand.

"The word I thought of was 'diva'" he replied, squeezing Simons hand back. Simon blushed lightly.

"Well" he started back. "Remember in our second year when you kept leaving white roses on my bed every night, and saying that Penny brought them up from Agatha?" He asked, poking Baz in the side. He snorted out a laugh, nodding slowly. "Why exactly was that?"

"Well, I knew you liked her, and she liked you, and it hurt hearing you come back every day talking about how beautiful she was. I assumed that giving you that extra courage would get you to ask her out, then you'd stop coming into our room like you were floating on a bubble" he explained nonchalantly.

"Hah! Sorry, but that was awful logic" said Simon.

"Well, it got you to shower more, so it wasn't a complete loss" replied Baz, shrugging awkwardly.

"Hmm, how about in third year when you fell into the habit of watching me sleep? What about that?"

"That's only because you would watch me!" Argued Simon.

"Oh really? I always thought it was because you were so entranced by my devilishly good looks" smirked Baz.

"Oh ho! So were talking about good looks now, are we? How about in fourth year when you would always glance at me from the corner of your eye in class?"

"What about in fifth year when you followed me around all year?"

"What about in sixth year when you would hiss at me behind everyone's backs, like you were saying 'who'll believe that I'm a vampire?'" Simon finished. Baz laughed more, and this time Simon joined him.

"Remember in seventh year..." started Simon, leaning over Baz. "When I realized I loved you?"

Baz and Simon walked back to their house half an hour later, hand in hand. After a little while of adorable kissing time, Baz had gotten up and went to find some livestock. Simon, the idiot he was, followed him. This was a constant tick for Simon. He always hated that Baz didn't let him watch him feed, saying that they shouldn't keep secrets. Baz lost him in the woods and fed quickly, just before Simon broke out of a bush behind him.

"Christ Snow! Why do you always want to watch me feed?" He shouted, his hand over his heart.

"I never get to see this part of you" said Simon, tossing him a rag. Baz caught it and wiped his mouth and hands.

"What, the part of me that's dead?" Baz had said.

"No, the part of you that..." said Simon, trailing off in thought. "Uhrm, well, the part of you that's different"

"Nice save."

Penelope ran out of the front door and hugged both of them, nearly causing them all to topple over.

"Where did you guys go!? You've been out there for nearly two hours!" She cried, leading them inside.

"I see it didn't keep you from making yourself comfortable" said Baz, regarding the many lit candles and plush chair angled at the TV. Penny blushed slightly and blew the candles out, gathering her things.

"Well, I'm glad you two worked things out" she said, grinning at their intertwined fingers. Baz moved to let go, but Simon squeezed, smiling at him.

"Yes, we did. Thanks for coming over, Pen. We'll see you next week?" Asked Simon, still holding tight to Baz.

"Wouldn't miss it. Bye guys" she said, closing the door behind her. Simon and Baz silently walked into their living room and sat on their couch. Simon grabbed the remote, and Baz leaned into his embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

Simon woke up with a crick in his neck. He slowly leaned up and popped it before standing and turning on a lamp. Baz grunted and turned away, yawning and stretching.

"What was that for?" He whined, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry" whispered Simon, laughing. "But it's 2:00, Baz. Maybe we should actually go to bed"

"Ugh, fine" huffed Baz, jumping up. The two shuffled awkwardly to bed and collapsed into the sheets.

They had only been asleep for a few minutes before a frantic knocking from their door woke them. Simon leaned over and patted Baz on the arm, as if saying  
'Your turn'.  
Baz groaned and sat up, walking down their hall. Baz looked though their peep whole only to see a bright red Penny standing at their door. Baz quickly undid the locks and pulled the door open, cringing at the wave of snow blowing in. Penny ran inside, shivering hard.

"My god, Penny, what's wrong?" Cried Baz, slamming the door shut. Now that she was standing in the light, Baz could see that she looked truly scared.

"It's-" she started, but was cut off by Simon trudging down the hall. He stopped abruptly when he saw Penny standing there.

"God Pen, what's wrong?" He asked, rushing forward.

"She was about to say" grumbled Baz, grumpy because he was still half asleep. And cold.

"I-It's Agatha. She showed up at my apartment, talking about someone attacking her!" She rushed out, doing little hops to warm herself up.

"Who?" Asked Simon and Baz in unison.

"I don't know!" Cried Penny. "She wouldn't say! She just kept repeating 'go get Simon, go get Simon' over and over"

"Okay" said Baz, running a hand through his messy hair. "Okay, give us a minute" he said, the two of them walking quickly to their bedroom and pulling on jeans, shirts, jackets, shoes, and more jackets. The three rushed out and piled into Penny's car, before taking off down the road. They were on the road for about ten minutes before Penny pulled into a parking spot. She killed the engine and the three rushed up a flight of stairs to Penny's apartment. Penny reached into her purse and fumbled with the key for a moment and finally threw open the door. The three stood in the darkness as Penny reached for the light. She turned it on to reveal... nothing. Her apartment was perfectly in place, not an Agatha in sight.

"Agatha?" Penny hissed, squinting in the sudden light. A door down the hall opened and Agatha emerged. She had taken a shower, but even from here Simon and Baz could see that she had scratches on her face and a black eye. They cringed.

"Agatha" breathed Penny, walking to her. She had borrowed a shirt and pair of sweats from Penny, and her hair was tied back in a long, wet ponytail. Baz clenched his jaw. Last time he had seen her, she had been running away, leaving Simon to fight the Mage, the Humdrum... she had left him to die. Simon must have felt Baz's anger and reached out for his hand. Baz let him. Simon gave it a quick squeeze before letting go, walking to where Penny and Agatha were on the couch. He crouched in front of them, taking Agatha's hand. She looked up as if only now noticing he was here. She choked out a small sob and lunged forward, embracing him tightly.

"Oh Simon, I'm so sorry! I just left you back at the Chapel and I knew the Mage would try to kill you, or the Humdrum would, but all I could think of was getting out. And then I ran more, and I left for California without even saying anything! I'm so so so sorry!" She sobbed, tears falling from her eyes. She was even a pretty crier. This was not the time for Agatha to appear back, bringing in her drama and tears. Baz narrowed his eyes at her. Mainly at her and Simons intertwined fingers. She and penny seemed pretty chummy, but what is she stayed with them, and she and Simon- Baz shook his head. Simon wouldn't. He would never.

"Baz!" Called Simon, breaking him out of his trance.

"What?" He asked, startled.

"I asked if you wanted any tea" said Simon flatly, gesturing to the kettle.

"Oh, sure. Thanks" said Baz, blinking a few times. Simon rolled his eyes and smiled, pouring four cups. He added a few lumps of sugar to Baz's, knowing he had a sweet tooth. He carried out the tea and he and Baz sat on the floor, facing Agatha and Penny.

"So" cooed Penny, stroking her hair softly. "Who attacked you, Agatha?"  
Agatha took a few breaths before breathing out a single name.

"Nicodemus"

Baz dropped his cup. Simon spluttered and coughed out his sip of tea. Penny gasped. Baz tightened his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He stooped slowly and picked up the shattered pieces of china, cursing when he cut himself. He then preceded to clean up the entire mess, everyone watching him in silence. Finally, Baz sat in the large plush chair that Penny had bought for 20$ from her neighbor. He crossed his long legs and folded his hands in his lap. They all stared at him.

"Did he say why?" He asked in a deadly tone. Simon moved to stand behind him, placing his hands on his narrow shoulders. Agatha nodded after a moment of thinking.

"He kept trying to bite me, but I eventually got my hands on a knife and stabbed his leg. He fled, but said 'next time I'll get my revenge. For her'. Then he was... gone" she said, stuttering a few times. Baz placed his head in his hands and nodded in understanding. Simon looked at him in bewilderment.

"You know what that means?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"You guys don't? It's really quite obvious" stated Baz into his hands.

"Can you stop making us feel stupid and just spit it out?" Hissed Agatha.

"He blames you! He blames you for letting Ebb die" said Baz, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"B-but I didn't! That was the mage!" She cried, desperately looking around. Baz stood and started pacing, hand on his chin.

"Vampires are... envious" he said awkwardly. "Something small won't set them off, but something big, like a dead twin, will set them on a course for demolition" he explained, still pacing.

"But I didn't kill her!" Shrieked Agatha.

"Do you really think that matters? He wants someone to blame, and the first person in line is dead. You're the runner up" he said in a low tone. Agatha sat back and Penny stared at the floor.

"How did you get here?" Asked Penny in a too-sweet voice.

"Hopped on the first plane over." She said blankly.

"Ah..." nodded Penny. Baz was standing against the wall, his head leaning against it with his arm covering it.

"I'm going" he said after a moment. Simon and Penny both jumped up.

"I-I'll drive you!" She said, frantically searching for her keys. Baz held up his hand.

"I'll walk"

"Baz" said Simon, looking nervous.

"Snow, I'll meet you at home" he said, zipping up his jacket, closing the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Baz?" Called Simon, stepping into the entryway of their house. Simon hung his coat and poked his head into Baz's study. He sat in a large chair, reading a book. In the dark.  
"Baz" said Simon again. He looked up, startled.

"Christ Snow, knock first" he said, magically turning on his light. Simon's rules: no fire in the house.

"The door was open, and I had already called your name" said Simon, walking forward and giving Baz a quick kiss.

"Knock anyways, and I was reading" retaliated Baz, returning his kiss. "You know I'm practically unresponsive when I'm reading"  
Simon nodded, knowing well that Baz very much enjoyed his books. Simon pulled the desk chair over next to Baz, reading over his shoulder.

"Jekyll and Hyde?" He asked, bending his back to read the cover. Baz nodded and snapped it shut. The two sat in silence.

"Snow, ehrm, Simon, are we really doing this?" He asked, staring at Simon. His usually piercing gray eyes looked dull, tired, and hesitant.

"Doing what?" Asked Simon, staring at the book cover. Baz huffed in annoyance.

"Are we honestly going to go back into the heat of the battle?"

"Do we have a choice?" Simon laughed darkly. Baz looked at him seriously.

"Yes. This isn't our battle. We can sit this out and-"

"And let Agatha die?"

"She left you for dead. When you were fighting the mage and the Humdrum, know what she did? She ran. She left you, alone with the both of them. She didn't even look back" Baz hissed through clenched teeth. Simon shook his head.

"Simon" said Baz, taking both of his hands in his own. "Do you realize that, back at Watford, every night you didn't come back to our room, I would sit up for hours, thinking about how you might be dead. And now I thought we could be happy. We were living a happy, normal life where I didn't have to worry about you dying. And know we're being thrust back into it, into another battle, where you might die!" Said Baz, standing suddenly. He took a few deep breaths and turned back.

"If anything happened to you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself" he said softly. Simon nodded, eyebrows furrowed.

"I know. And I don't want to go back. I want to be able to live with you, happily, peacefully! But I also can't just sit by and watch my friend get murdered" said Simon, standing. He walked over and hugged Baz, talking into his ear. "I know you don't like this. I don't either. And you don't have to join in" he said. Baz laughed.

"Really? You think I'd leave poor defenseless you by yourself?"  
Simon nodded sarcastically. Baz chuckled.

"I'll never leave you alone" he whispered, pulling Simon into a kiss.

The next morning Simon woke up and stood, stretching. He wandered out to their kitchen to get coffee before looking for Baz. He was, once again, sitting in his study. He was at his desk, glaring at a pad of paper. Simon knocked lightly on the door. Baz looked up and smiled.

"Morning" he said, looking back down at his paper. His gaze flicked back and forth from his computer to his notes, focusing hard. Simon rolled his eyes and kissed Baz's head, kneeling to see what he was doing.

"What're you doing?" He asked, not understanding any of Baz's slanted writing. Baz laughed ant sat back, rubbing his eyes.

"Well, we need a game plan, don't we?" He explained, gesturing to his notes. Simon, being half asleep, still didn't understand. He gave Baz a blank look. Baz, instead of answering, grabbed Simon's coffee and took a few long sips before Simon grabbed it back.

"Hey! Geez, you could've just asked" he said, stirring his coffee with a small spoon.

"Simon, love, there are many things I could've done. That was just the fastest and most convenient"  
Simon rolled his eyes again.

"Anyways, what is all of this?" He asked, drinking his coffee protectively.

"Well, Nicodemus is back in the game. He's powerful and pissed, and those two don't go well together. Because you insist at us not just giving him Agatha on a silver plate," Simon glared at him. "We need a plan to stop him. Agatha was foolish and paid for a plane ticket with her credit card. That means that Nicodemus could easily track it. That means that he knows that she's here, with us. So, I guess our argument last night was pointless. We're getting sucked into this whether we like it or not" explained Baz, dropping his pencil. Simon stared blankly. Again.

"How did you know she paid width a credit card?" He asked. Baz face palmed.

"It's really not hard to track credit cards, especially if you know where you're looking. I just, well, I hacked the airline" said Baz, glancing at Simon.

"You what?" He asked sharply.

"I hacked the airline"

"With your $200 laptop? You hacked a freaken airline with this thing?" He asked in bewilderment, gesturing at the old laptop, with its faded keys.

"Hey! This laptop has served me well over the years! It's what I used that one time to change all of your grades to F's"

"I knew that was you!"

Baz cackled. Simon joined him.

* * *

 **Here's a quick short chapter. I hope that you're all enjoying this story! I might be posting a one-shot SnowBaz fluff-fic soon. Just a question, how are you guys liking this? Please give me some feedback so I know what to do. Go ahead and PM or review or comment or whatever it is. Thanks so much for reading though!**


	4. Chapter 4

Nicodemus lurked around the house. It had a large, shattered window in the front. His hand instinctively went down to his bandaged leg.  
' _Bitch_ ' he thought. She had killed his sister, and she would pay. In his hand, he clutched a one way plane ticket.

Agatha awoke with a start. She had that nightmare, again. The one where Nicodemus stabbed her dog... no. Lucy had run away. She was a smart girl, and surely could make her way to the beach. Agatha took a shuddering breath to steady herself and stood. It was still dark, so she grabbed her phone and used its light to find her way to Penny's bathroom. She looked in the mirror and almost shrieked. She had bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her face was splotchy and her hair was matted with sweat. Her black eye was still there, vibrant as ever.

She carefully washed her face before going back to Penny's couch. As she sat down, her phone chimed. She slid it open and read the text. What she saw chilled her to the bone.  
'I see you' and attached was a picture of herself, washing her face. It had been taken through the tiny window in Penny's bathroom. Agatha's hair stood on end and she walked to Penny's bedroom, taking care to avoid the bathroom. Every creak in the building made her jump. Every time the wind blew a stick on the window, she was sure that it was someone tapping the glass.

She looked up only to see that she was only about half way down the hallway. She swallowed, only now noticing how scratchy and dry her throat was. Since when was the hallway that long? She tucked her head and walked, not looking up. That was, until she ran face first into the door. Or, she thought it was the door. But it was soft. And breathing. Two firm hands grasped her shoulders.

Agatha looked up into two blood red eyes. She dropped her phone and screamed. She screamed as loud as she could. She screamed until Penny came running to the door. She screamed until Penny hit her attacker over the head with a lamp and he disappeared into shadow. Until Penny was holding her, and dialing Simons mobile. She screamed.

*ring ring*

Simon rolled in his sleep.

*ring ring*

He grumbled and sat up, feeling for his phone.

*ring ring*

Baz smacked his shoulder.

*ring ring*

He flipped open his phone, holding it to his ear.  
*Simon!?*  
"Penny?"  
*Oh god Simon, someone was here, in my apartment! He tried to attack Agatha!*  
"What!? Okay, just, are you guy's safe?"  
*I don't know! -Sob- He's gone, but I don't think any of us are safe*  
"Okay, get into your bedroom and lock all of the doors. Close the blinds and turn off the lights. We'll be there in a minute"  
*Okay, -sob- just please hurry*  
*click*  
"Baz"  
"Whaaaaaat"  
"Get up, Penny and Agatha need help"  
"Why do I need to go? Sounds like a you problem"  
"You're the only one who can drive"

"Baz"

"BAZ"

"Baz *poke* Baz *poke* Ba-"  
"Fine!"

Baz skidded into a parallel park. Simon caught him up as he drove, and he slowly started to accelerate the more he heard. He was eventually going at least 20 miles over, but thanks to luck, (and probably magic) he didn't get pulled over. The two ran to Penny's door. Baz unlocked it with an " **open up**!" and the two ran in. Simon ran down the hall to Penny's bedroom and knocked frantically while Baz searched the entire apartment. After a few well-chosen words, the door unlocked.

Penny was holding a large piece of glass, Agatha behind her with an iron. Penny dropped the glass when she saw Simon, opening the door and hugging him. Agatha breathed a sigh of relief, setting the iron back in Penny's closet. Simon walked in, looking cautiously at the broken pieces of lamp scattered about the floor. Baz joined them and they sat in a circle on the floor.

"So, what exactly happened?" Asked Simon after a minute. Penny looked at Agatha, who sighed tiredly. She rubbed her eye and started to recount the tale. Simon kept gnawing on his lower lip, a habit he did when he was worried that he'd never bothered to break. Baz stared at the floor in silence.

"Penny was amazing. She hit him with a lamp, and he just... disappeared" finished Agatha. At this Baz snapped his head up.

"Disappeared?" He asked, raising a dramatic eyebrow.

"Yeah, he just turned into shadows or something and was gone" explained Penny. The two held eye contact for a few moments, as if speaking without words. Finally Baz shook his head.

"Shadows? How is that even possible? He could've used **you can't see me** , but he would've just turned invisible, no shadows. And **into thin air** would've killed him, splitting his cells. And there still wouldn't have been shadows" he growled, getting frustrated. Simon laid a hand on his back, and he smiled tightly. Penny looked at the floor, thinking hard.

"Or..." she said quietly. "Or it could've been... dark magic"  
If the room was quiet before, it was deadly now. It seemed like none of them were breathing. Simon shook his head.

"N-no. Dark magic is dangerous. Especially to the caster" he stuttered out, pupils dilated.

"And to infuse yourself with that much magic, to blacken your very atoms, it would be suicide" said Baz, staring at the ceiling with eyes full of curiosity and... Was that desire? (A/N: gulp) He closed them and shook his head.

"Well, whoever attacked you wasn't Nicodemus. He smells like booze and sweat. Whoever it was smelt like pine and dirt. I would bet it was one of his goons. Probably didn't want to dirty himself" he said, lifting his lip in a half-snarl.

"Well, at least we have a starting point" said Penny, clapping her hands together. Simon and Agatha looked at her, surprised.  
"We do?" They said in unison. They laughed quietly looking at each other. Baz looked at Agatha and saw in her eyes freight and... was that desire? (A/N: double gulp)  
Baz shook his head, frowning to himself.

"Of course! Just before the guy disappeared, I saw a tiny tattoo on the inside of his arm. It was, like, a pentagram with four wings, two on each sides and two points coming off of the bottom" she explained, shaping her hands into a circle.

"And you didn't think that was important to share earlier?" Hissed Baz.

"Sorry! I just remembered!" Defended Penny, holding up both hands. "Anyways, that was an obvious cult symbol. So, we need to find cults that use dark magic"

"How do you suggest we do that?" Asked Baz, his hands folded. "We can't exactly google 'dark magic cults'"

"Well, there's my family library, your family library, and my mum is headmistress at Watford. Though, they probably wouldn't have much on dark magic..." she said thoughtfully. Simon rubbed his eyes.

"Okay. It's getting late. We should regroup tomorrow. Are you two okay here?" He asked, gesturing to Penny and Agatha.

"I'm fine, Agatha?" Said Penny, looking at her. Agatha squirmed slightly.

"I-If it's okay, if I could go with you guys for just a few days..." she said quietly. Simon looked at Baz. Baz turned away and looked at the opposite wall.

"Sure, let's go" said Simon, standing. Baz stood also, not looking back as he walked to the door. Baz drove home a bit faster and more violently than necessary, clutching the wheel hard. Though, he was glad when Simon suggested that Agatha take the couch.

 **A/N: Another short-ish chapter. Woohoo guys, finally getting into the plot! I hope you guys are enjoying. Review or PM me to let me know how I'm doing please! It's nice to get feedback. Special thanks to** **knippe-jeakins548** **for my first, and very kind, review and** **Kaiaslights** **for my first follow! I tried a new style of writing with the parts that are all dialogue, so I hope that didn't come out so bad. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Penny sat in bed, eyes wide open. She was tired, but could still feel adrenaline in her blood. How could someone have gotten into her apartment? They couldn't have just strolled in, she had spells against that! Actually, she had spells against any evil. And that man couldn't have been a vampire, because no one invited him in. Unless... Penny shook her head. Why would Agatha invite a vampire in? She was stupid, but not that stupid. Penny sighed and rolled over onto her side, finally starting to fall asleep. Outside, two bright, red dots shone from out of a bush. The next morning was... uneventful. Penny got up like always and made coffee, showered, and ate breakfast. Though, as she went through her usual routine, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed. 

Baz stood in the snow, staring at the dark sky. His breath barely plumed out in front of him. A small crunching alerted him. He was here. Baz smirked to himself. He turned and faced him. Nicodemus was standing before him, wearing a large, black coat. Baz smirked again, this time a bit more like a vampire. Nicodemus did the same. 

"So" said Baz, casually putting his hands in his pockets. He pulled out a piece of paper, cramped writing taking up most of the center. He held it up in front of them before suddenly lighting it on fire. Nicodemus yelped and jumped back, landing in the snow. Baz lunged after him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. 

"You want me to join you and your lackeys? Your cult?" He hissed in his face, fangs bared. Nicodemus choked a few times before Baz finally let go of him. 

"Think about it" he wheezed, rubbing his throat. "All the power you could imagine. You could live forever, and nobody would stop you from doing whatever you wanted. You could even bring that Snow child along with you. I would personally turn him mysel-!" Nicodemus was cut off by a kick to his stomach. Baz kneeled before him, grabbing the front of his shirt again. His pupils were mere pinpricks in his budging eyes. 

"Don't you ever even think about touching Simon. Agatha is a different story. The only reason that I'm helping her is because of Simon" he hissed again, shoving Nicodemus into the ground before standing and turning. 

"You don't understand!" Called Nicodemus from behind him. Anger flared in his mind. He whirled quickly, giving Nicodemus another hard kick. 

"No! You don't understand! Simon changed me! I'm not one of you anymore!" Baz yelled, sparks flying off of his body. 

"You are though. You could kill me now, but you aren't. You're leaving poor little Agatha to die. You have just as much blood on your hands as I do. The difference is, power. You have so much more than I do, you just don't realize it. You could be our king" he laughed. Baz glared, his entire body shaking. Slowly, Nicodemus pulled up his shirt sleeve, showing a pentagram with two points and four wings. Baz visibly shuddered and moved away, turning and trudging back to his house. When he got back inside, he changed his wet shirt. Under it, on the underside of his forearm, was a blood red pentagram with four wings and two points on the bottom. 

Simon woke up, gazing through the darkness. He saw something moving... 

"Baz?" He croaked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, reaching for his lamp. Baz panicked, his mark still fully visible. His wand was at least 15-ft away, and he didn't have a shirt on. The light clicked on, and Baz stood, like a deer caught in the headlights. He turned his arm quickly, hiding it from sight. He held up his other arm in front of his eyes, wincing in the sudden light. 

"Christ Snow, what?" He asked, trying to sound surprised rather than scared. Simon didn't buy it. 

"Baz" he said, stronger this time, more awake. "What's wrong?"  
Baz grimaced. He hated how Simon could always see right through him. He had worked to make himself unreadable, but no matter what he did, Simon could read him like an open book. 

"Nothing, go back to sleep" he said, turning his face to the side. He hated people seeing him shirtless. He was so pale, like a blank sheet of paper. Simon, on the other hand, loved seeing Baz shirtless. Simon rubbed his eyes, standing, taking Baz's hands. Baz sucked in a breath, praying that Simon didn't notice the red circle on his arm, just begging to be looked at. Instead, Simon looked at Baz, concerned. He gave Baz a kiss on his nose and pulled lightly on his arms, trying to pull him towards their bed. He knew that Baz wouldn't talk. He was fiercely stubborn sometimes.

Baz took a step forward and pulled his hands back. Simon looked at him with large, shining puppy dog eyes. Baz smiled and turned, pulling on a shirt and jumping over Simon onto the bed, landing lightly. He leaned over and kissed Simon on the forehead. Simon leaned and turned off the lamp, grinning.

 **A/N: Hey guys, sorry I didn't post yesterday. Here's another short but informative chapter. Something else I wanted to say is that, when I'm writing this, it's the 2** **nd** **of December. Since December has started, I've gotten 56 views and 3 follows. This makes me so insanely happy, especially since I never thought I was good at writing. I always thought I was god-awful at it until one of my teachers from a few years ago told my class how great an essay I wrote was, about how emotional it was. That's when I realized that I had a passion for writing. I'm not meaning to claim that I'm some amazing writer, I'm not, but I do think I'm good, and one day. Maybe even great. Thank you so, so much guys.**


	6. Chapter 6

Simon woke up, his fingers intertwined with Baz's. He smiled groggily to himself, looking down at their hands. Baz was breathing softly next to him. Simon was just about to fall back asleep when he noticed something. There was something on Baz's arm. Simon wiped at it, trying to push it off, only to find it was stuck, printed on the pale skin. Simon blinked a couple of times, his head falling back onto the pillow and falling asleep. The next time Simon woke up, Baz was gone. Simon sat up and stretched, not remembering the strange events of the previous night. He wandered down the hall, looking down at his phone. He read the date. December 15. He almost gasped. When did it get so close to Christmas? With all of the commotion lately, he just hadn't noticed. But Baz had.

Simon turned into their living room and dropped his phone. A tree was standing proudly at the center, Baz next to it. Being a vampire, Baz could easily cut and carry a full tree. He turned when he heard Simon's phone hit the carpet. His strong hearing was un-nerving. Baz smiled brightly, gesturing happily to the tree. Simon stooped and grabbed his phone, placing it in his pocket. He stood up, looking at the tree again. Baz watched him, still grinning. Simon smiled back awkwardly. This very, very awkward encounter lasted for a minute until Agatha sat up. Simon jumped, having forgotten she was there. She sat there for a moment, squinting through half lidded eyes. 

"Why is there a tree?" She asked thickly. 

"Just what I was about to say..." said Simon quietly. 

"Christmas!" Cheered Baz, eyes wide. Simon squinted suspiciously. Baz's behavior was... different than his usual self.  
"Christmas!" He cheered again, this time with jazz hands. 

"Mm hm" murmured Simon, nodding slowly. Baz sighed and rolled his eyes, dropping his hands to his side. 

"Is there coffee?" Asked Agatha, turning to Simon. Simon nodded and led her into the kitchen. Baz stood awkwardly and itched at his inner forearm. When Simon came out of the kitchen, Baz had sat down and was doodling on a sketch pad. Simon came up behind him and watched over his shoulder. Baz stiffened but tried to not show it. He hated people watching him draw, even though he was great. He even hated Simon watching him draw. Baz moved his pencil back, trying to look like he was thinking. Simon reached up and carefully pushed the pencil back down.

If Baz could've blushed, he would've. He slowly started moving the pencil again. He was currently drawing a doe. Simon tried not to reach out and grab the paper. The likeness of it was amazing, down to the specks of white on its back. Simon leaned forward, but accidentally breathed on Baz's neck. Baz scrunched his neck and breathed out hard, snapping his book shut in the process. 

"I'm sorry" laughed Simon. He always made fun of Baz for his weird little ticks. Baz grunted and re-opened his book to a page full of small but breathtaking sketches. Up in the corner, he started drawing a crude picture of a man with an extreme widow's peak and another man with comically huge wings and tail holding onto his shoulder. Simon swatted his shoulder and Baz laughed, turning his head to kiss Simon. Simon accepted with a smile. 

"So" he started when they broke apart. "Why _is_ there a tree in our living room?"  
Baz groaned.

Simon stood awkwardly, arms above his head. He was trying to hang lights, but the tree was really tall and really wide, so he had to keep shuffling around. He let go of a branch and it whipped back, smacking him on the face. Simon yelped and fell backwards, tripping on a string of lights. These lights were, unfortunately, attached to the tree, which fell down on top of him. Baz hurried in, balancing a couple of boxes. 

"Oh Christ, Simon. Can't you even hang up lights?" Asked Baz, helping Simon get unraveled.  
"Next time don't make the guy with a tail hang up the lights" he grumbled back, un-looping more lights from around his ankle. Baz chuckled and picked up the tree, placing it back upright. He held out a hand and Simon took it, getting to his feet. The two then preceded to light up the entire tree, hanging lights and ornaments. Baz made Simon put the topping on the tree. While most people had a star or a St. Nick, they had a black snowflake. When Simon asked why he had to put the snowflake on top, Baz responded with a simple: "you have wings"  
Simon sighed and flapped lazily a few feet into the air, carefully fastening the decoration to the point of their tree. He landed down, trying carefully not to land on anything pointy. He did anyway. Simon cursed loudly, feeling his foot. There was a small cut with a piece of glass sticking out of it oozing blood onto the carpet. All in one swift motion, Baz picked up Simon and carried him into the bathroom, setting him on the counter. As he grabbed bandages and such from under the sink, Simon carefully pulled the glass out and winced. It was at least an inch long, pointed straight up. He dropped it on a hand towel and stuck his foot in the sink, running water over it. Baz helped him dry and then bandage his foot carefully. Something was off. Simon looked at Baz. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his jaw was set. He placed a hand gently on Baz's back, making him jump. 

"Seriously, Baz. What's wrong?" He asked, looking Baz in the eye. 

"Nothing, just, all of the blood" he said choppily. 

"Oh" said Simon, looking down at his foot. "Have you ever thought about... tasting it?" He asked awkwardly. Baz gave a sharp laugh that came out more like a bark. 

"That's all I've wanted to do since the day I met you" he said, not looking up. 

"All you've wanted to do?" Asked Simon, raising an eyebrow innocently. Baz smiled and rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, I guess that's not all..." he admitted. 

"That's what I thought" said Simon, planting a kiss right on the point of Baz's widow's peak.

Simon and Baz sat on their couch, watching old Christmas movies on TV. Simons hand moved slightly, tugging Baz's shirt sleeve up a little bit. Baz jumped back, clamping his hand over his shirt sleeve. Simon looked at him in bewilderment. The two sat still for a moment, Baz's pupils dilated. Simon, very slowly and very delicately, reached for Baz's hand. Knowing he couldn't do anything, Baz let him, looking away and biting his lip. Simon tugged his shirt sleeve up until he saw, clear as day, the cult symbol.

 **A/N: Thank you guys so much for the positive reinforcement! Since this month has started, I've gotten 91 views. To my viewers from around the world I would like to say:**

 **Merci!, Gracias!, and**

آپ کا شکریہ **!**

 **Please leave a review or PM me with some feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

Simon gasped and dropped Baz's hand. Of all of the weird shit he expected to see carved into his arm, that was the last. Simon realized, for the first time in years, that he was afraid of Baz. He hadn't been truly afraid of Baz since their third year. He was glad Agatha was at Penny's apartment. She wouldn't see this. Slowly, his fear melted into anger and he stood sharply, sending a few papers flying off of their ottoman. 

"So you're one of them? You've completely infused yourself with dark magic and are trying to kill us all?" He accused angrily, tail lashing about. Baz stood also, holding his hands up. 

"No, just let me explain" he pleaded, looking hurt. 

"Why should I!?" He roared. "You're a monster!" Baz minced dramatically. He had always, always hated that word, but hearing it come from Simon broke his heart. 

"S-Simon, please" he whispered, trying to keep his emotions under control. "Just let me talk" 

"Have you been trying to just kill me?" Shouted Simon, completely ignoring Baz. "Hah! Well, too late! You missed your chance! You know why?" He shouted, turning around and pointing at Baz, who winced. "Because of this. This right here is what's killing me. You betrayed me, you lied to me, when I never, ever, would have lied to you" he said, voice dropping dangerously low. 

"Simon please" begged Baz, tears welling in his eyes, about to spill over. Seeing Baz crying instantly triggered his emotions and he wanted to hold Baz and never let gim go again. Simon folded his arms and glared at Baz, seething. Baz sighed and started his story. "I was part of this cult before. Back around our fourth year, I qui-" 

"Why?" Demanded Simon, taking a half-step forwards and Baz taking a half-step back. 

"Because of you" said Baz, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The tips of Simons pale ears turned pink.  
'Damn, snow, why do you have to have so much blood?' Thought Baz, clenching his jaw. He looked down.  
"I was their king. Magician and vampire, what could be better? There could've been Nicodemus, but he was an idiot and a drunk. And he doesn't have half the power I do. Anyways, they took me in during my first year. Like I said I was their king, but I quit. And I swear, I swear to god, Simon, I'm never going back" he explained, getting down onto his knees and taking Simon's hand. Simon let him, but didn't do anything in return.

Baz looked up at him, pleading. His hair was falling in his eyes, which were shining with tears. His mouth was partly agape, making his fangs more visible. Those adorable, little fangs that he sucked on while thinking... Simon groaned and leaned down, pulling Baz in as close as he could. One tear slid down Baz's face, getting caught on his chin. 

"Oh god Baz, I love you so much" whispered Simon. Baz gulped and nodded, not trusting his voice. All he wanted was to hold Simon and to be held by him. And for one moment, one foolish moment, fueled by happiness and child like naivety, Baz let himself believe that things might end happily.

Baz woke up to orange. Orange everywhere. It was clouding his vision, making his eyes sting and water. Then he felt the heat. It was licking at his legs, leaving long scorch marks. He jumped up, feet sinking into the snow. Then he remembered where he was. He had gone out to hunt the night before and had caught a couple of rabbits. His head was pounding, and all he could remember was drinking them and passing out. Baz had a bitter taste in his mouth... someone must have drugged the rabbits. They had been acting strange. Though back to the matter on hand. Baz stood and ran past the trees in a daze. He could hear branches snapping around him. He heard a whistling and stopped just as an arrow whizzed past his nose, sticking deep into a tree next to him. He crouched low and kept running. The people perusing him had to be vampires to be able to keep up as well as they were. But he had one thing they didn't. 

**"Home sweet home!"** He yelled as loud as he could, pouring in all of his magic. He seemed to have left the fire behind, but the smoke he had breathed in was starting to take its tolls. His voice was raspy, his mind was foggy, and his muscles were exhausted. Rather than teleporting inside, he appeared in the front yard, about 5 feet from the ground. He fell, crumpling to his knee. He looked up and his blood chilled. A window was shattered. Dripping red paint covered the front wall. It was scattered about, spelling multiple sentences.

The first was: 'swore you'd never tell', the second was 'Hope you liked the rabbit', and the last, and most chilling made Baz's heart sink into the floor. 'He's with us now'. Baz read the messages over and over again. His mind simply wouldn't accept it. He staggered back a few steps. He turned as a few vampires he recognized stepped through the trees. He pelted towards the first one, grabbing him by his head and swinging him into a tree. Hard. The vampire's body exploded into ash. The other two took a step back, holding up their hands. Baz lunged for the next one, a girl. He could remember this girl telling him that she would never betray him. She met the same fate as her friend. The last vampire turned tail and fled. But his speed was no match for Baz's. Baz tackled him from behind sending them both rolling over each other. 

"Wait!" He cried. Baz halted mid strike. His pupils were tiny. "Wait!" Cried the vampire again, opening his eyes. "P-please! We didn't think you'd react that way!" 

"Where did you take him" hissed Baz through his teeth. 

"N-Nicodemus has him. Though he hasn't been turned yet!" He added quickly. Baz had heard all he needed to. He set this vampire alight. The fire was pressing closer now, but Baz absorbed it, all of it. Sparks flew from him, small flames licking at his eyes. Baz breathed deeply. He used the raw energy of the large fire he had taken in for one last spell. The spell that you could only use on someone who had wronged you and had stolen away your lover. He raised his wand to the sky, picturing one person in his mind. Though he said the words quietly, they echoed through the hills.  
 _"I will carry hell to your doorstep"_

 **A/N: Sorry it's been such a long wait guys. I've been volunteering at a school event in my area, and my weak immune system just couldn't take it, so I am once again sick. Also, sorry if this chapter seems rushed, I just really wanted to post this. Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support! It makes me feel so happy. Thank you all so much!**


	8. Chapter 8

Simon's eyelids fluttered open. His head was pounding. He tried to reach up to feel his head, but found his hands were restrained. He could see shadows moving around him. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, but everything was still slightly blurred. He thought a few times he would see a person standing around him, but when he tried to look they were gone, replaced by shadow. He laid his head back and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm his throbbing head. He tried to think back to when he had been taken. He was lying in bed, reading. Baz was hunting. Simon heard a shatter from downstairs and ran down the hall. After that, nothing. Just black and pain. A light slap to the face pulled him back to reality. Simon shot his head up and glared. A very familiar vampire was sneering above him. 

"Nicodemus" snarled Simon, trying to seem threatening. Nicodemus smiled and laughed. 

"Mister Snow" he said, clapping his hands. Nicodemus turned and grabbed a glass from the table behind him. Simon quickly looked around, trying to recognize where he was, but he couldn't. The only familiar thing in the room was Nicodemus's grinning face. He walked towards Simon, holding out a glass of water. Simon lashed out with his leg, trying to kick him, but Nicodemus grabbed his leg and bent it back. Simon whimpered and bit his lip, trying not to scream. Nicodemus leaned in and whispered: "try that again and I'll cut them off". Simon didn't try that again.

Nicodemus dropped Simon's leg and laughed as if someone had just told him a funny joke. Simon winced and looked at him like he was a madman. Which he was. Nicodemus pulled another chair over beside Simon and took a long sip from a flask in his jacket. Simon glared at him the entire time, mouth set in a thin line. While Nicodemus drank, Simon looked around the dim room. He could make out a few things, like a table cluttered with papers and empty bottles. Even from where he sat, Simon could smell the alcohol on him. A single candle burnt in the corner. A couple of bookshelves lined the wall to his left, though he couldn't read the titles. A large door stood shut across from him. Nicodemus finally finished off his flask and placed a grimy hand on Simons shoulder. His wings ruffled in discomfort and his tail stiffened. Simon looked at him coolly from the side of his eyes. Nicodemus squinted at him and laughed again, turning beet red. 

"Do you know why you're here, Mister Snow?" Asked Nicodemus, still not moving his hand from Simons shoulder. Simon blinked slowly and nodded his head, looking straight forward. Nicodemus laughed and clapped his hand on Simons shoulder, making him wince. 

"Aha! Smart lad! So, I think that we should talk first" he said, crossing his legs and folding his hands in his lap. "So, how have you been?"  
Simon furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Not too well at the moment" 

"Well, that's because I have you all tied up" 

"Exactly"  
Nicodemus frowned at his flask. He up-ended it over his hand and thirstily licked at the last drop that fell into his palm. 

"How about Baz? How's Mr. Kingie been lately?" He asked, slurring his words. Simon tensed at Baz's name. 

"I wouldn't exactly know" said Simon, squaring his jaw. Nicodemus laughed again, spit lolling out over his mouth. He snorted and wiped it away. 

"Hm, guess not" he said, eyes glazed. "Well" he said suddenly, clapping and standing. "Let's get down to business"  
Simon jumped, recoiling as Nicodemus's fangs extended. He roughly pushed Simon's head back, revealing the full length of his neck. Simon grunted and tried to lash out at him, but he gave Simon a hard slap and he stopped struggling as much. A few tears made their way down his face, clinging to his chin before falling.

Simon closed his eyes.

He could feel Nicodemus's breath on his neck.

Then he felt his fangs grazing his skin.

He called one last memory of him and Baz lying on the floor of their room in Watford, holding hands and laughing.

Then he felt nothing.

 **A/N: Sorry for the really short, rushed chapter! I had an orchestra concert tonight, so I didn't have as much time to work on this one as I would've liked**


	9. Chapter 9

Simon opened his eyes. Silhouetted in black against the light from outside was Baz. The door had been thrown aside and Baz had both arms outstretched, bracing the side of the door. His face was scratched, his clothes were torn, and his entire body seemed bruised. But to Simon, he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His eyes started to water again. Nicodemus stood stalk still, eyes wide. His face was still flushed from the alcohol, but he seemed slightly paler than usual. The two stared at each other. Nicodemus looked frightened like a deer caught in the headlights and Baz glared, fire burning in his eyes. Then Nicodemus had one thought pierce through his murky brain. That was 'maybe I can finish my job...' and he lunged forward quickly, his fangs just puncturing Simon's flesh before being ripped away.

Baz shouted, lunging forward. What happened next was... unexpected. Fire engulfed Baz, but he didn't burn. The fire was swirling around him, though not touching him. They were sprouting from his back, billowing out behind him like wings. The fire did touch Nicodemus, though. He screamed, cried out in pain as it raced up his body. Baz was quickly kneeling in front of Simon, scratching at the thick ropes. He reached out for his wand and was a split second faster than Baz. 

"No!" Screamed Baz in a blind fury and shadows engulfed Nicodemus and fled out the door. Baz sank to his knees. He had waited for so long to finally kill Nicodemus. And he hadn't. He had failed when he could've so easily succeeded. Simon, not wanting to break the silence, used the small blade of his tail to start sawing at the fabric. When he finally cut himself loose, he tried to walk to Baz, but found he couldn't. Baz was on his hands and knees, gagging. Magic shimmered around him. Something was wrong. Something was seriously wrong. 

"Baz!" Cried Simon, trying to lean forward, but the strange magic was keeping him at least a foot from Baz. He looked up. Blood was trickling out of his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot and he was sweating. He tried to give Simon his best smile, but couldn't. Instead he moaned and collapsed into a ball, clutching at his stomach. At the same time the magic bubble popped and Simon landed on top of him. Baz gave a loud 'oof!' And clutched his stomach. 

"Oh god I'm so sorry. Baz what's wrong?" Asked Simon, holding himself over a shaking Baz. Baz's eyes rolled up into his head and he coughed, spluttering for breath. Simon sat him up and placed a hand on his back. Finally Baz breathed deeply. 

"Bitch poisoned me" he said, laughing darkly. 

"Who?" Asked Simon, worried. Baz laughed again, clutching his stomach. A bit of blood trickled down his jaw. 

"Morgana. She-" he started coughing again. 

"Morgana?" Asked Simon, cocking an eyebrow. Baz waved a hand. 

"Later. Let's get home" he spluttered out. And so they did.

Simon stood in their kitchen, staring down at two mugs of tea. Baz was in the shower. Simon kept running through Baz's words in his head. Someone, Morgana, had poisoned him? He certainly couldn't have meant _the_ Morgana. She was long dead. But then, who could poison a vampire? Something that was already dead? It just didn't work.

The water stopped and a few minutes later, Baz stepped out of the bathroom looking more refreshed. Though his pale skin still looked sickly, his eyes were brighter than they had been. Simon smiled, and Baz returned it, taking a sip of his tea. 

"Thank you" he said, watching Simon over the rim of his mug. Simon watched him intently and Baz snorted, rolling his eyes. "Alright. So, down to business" he said with a light cough. Simon winced. 

"Morgana, no, not the Morgana, just some impersonator working for Nicodemus, poisoned me" 

"With what?" Asked Simon, leaning forward. 

"The only thing that could hurt a vampire" he said, placing a hand over his eyes. He looked down before finally settling his eyes on Simon. He grabbed both of his shoulders, pulling him into a kiss. They released and Baz looked Simon in the eye.  
"Snow, she's curing me of Vampirism"

 **A/N: Oh god I'm so sorry for the rushed, short chapters guys…**


	10. Chapter 10

Baz's heart was racing, which was a strange experience for him. He knew life; its taste, its smell, its look, but he had never experienced it. It was strange and almost painful, but blissful at the same time. He had always felt closed off and cold in a world full of life. And now he felt as though those walls were coming down, that he might actually be able to be close to another living being. Then he remembered that he already was. He had Simon. Then he remembered that by bringing him back to life, the poison was also killing him. Slowly but steadily. The thing about vampires is that fangs are vital to their survival. By "curing" him, his fangs would disappear far before his need for blood. So he would feel the hunger and have no way of eating. He would die just days after his fangs would disappear. Or maybe he would be dead before then... Baz shook his head, snapping back to reality. Simon stood still, mouth agape and eyes wide. Baz could practically see smoke coming out his ears. 

"Wait, she's doing what?" Asked Simon, shaking his head. 

"She's making me into _not_ a vampire" said Baz, rolling his eyes. Simon's pupils were tiny and shaky. How was that possible? How could she do that? 

"How is that possible?" Echoed Simon. 

"Necromancy" said Baz, looking at his arms. He could feel the heat coming off of them. He could also feel Simon's eyes boring into the top of his head. 

"Baz...are you saying that you've been touched by necromancy?" He said quietly, as though all of his breath had been forced from his lungs. 

"Yes" Baz tried to sound nonchalant, but his mind had been racing since he had figured it out for himself. Necromancy was dangerous, especially when used on a vampire. It was the most dangerous of dark magic. To toy with death itself, well, let's just say that death _him_ self would come back to take his revenge. Brutally. Necromancers had been known for some of the worst deaths in recorded history. And anyone who had been touched by necromancy were returned to their resting state. They would drop dead where they were. And the thought of dying, really dying, opened a pit in Baz's stomach. 

"Baz...necromancy! Just, oh god Baz" said Simon, hugging Baz tightly, never wanting to let go. 

"Come off it, Simon, it's not that bad" whispered Baz, voice shaking. He forced his jaw shut and wouldn't allow it to quiver. It did anyways. He knew that he could die in the next month. And that thought scared him beyond belief. He wasn't really scared of death itself, it was what came with death. He had experienced death before. It was cold and darkness everywhere. And the pain. The pain was unbearable. It felt like it was ripping his very soul apart. The thought of having to experience that for all of eternity made him shudder. And beyond all of that was Simon. You see, a vampire's soul, when they're what's considered a "good" vampire, will live on and roam the earth. Knowing that he would be so close to Simon and not be able to really be near him hurt worst. But right now, for the moment, he was here with Simon, and he was glad for that.

Baz was walking around, his feet crunching in the deep snow. He was still getting used to feeling the cold, to having any feeling at all. He stopped, a hare burrowing into the snow a few feet away. It noticed him as well and stopped, twitching its nose. Baz's stomach grumbled and it ran off. Baz didn't chase it. Ever since he had gotten poisoned, he hadn't been able to hunt properly. He had been feeding off of vermin for the past week or so, and couldn't bring himself to hunt anything larger.

His back stiffened as a doe wandered into the clearing. It looked at him and looked back, herding out a baby. It was fumbling on its long legs in the thick snow, but its mother helped it up. Baz walked towards them slowly and crouched down, letting the mother sniff him. She deemed him safe and stepped back, allowing her baby to crawl into Baz's lap. He grabbed the baby and held it up to eye level. He could feel its heart beating, could hear its blood rushing. He tried desperately to try and summon any amount of hunger, any trace of desire, but couldn't. All he got was disgust at himself for wanting to eat the little creature. He petted its head and set it down, watching him wobble back to his mother and the two of them disappeared into the trees. Baz's stomach grumbled.

"Why does it matter?" Growled Baz. He had been arguing with this damned butcher for over ten minutes now. 

"It matters because I want to know what you need with a gallon of fresh pigs blood at 2:00 in the morning!" He argued back, scratching his mustache. Baz crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Maybe I'll just take my business, and my _money_ elsewhere" he said coolly,

Sweeping towards the door. 

"Wait!" Cried the man. "Fine, here you go, here's your damn pigs blood" he said angrily, holding out a large plastic container to him. Baz smiled and took the container, dropping a ten on the counter. 

"Keep the change, asshole" he said, pushing his way into the dark parking lot.

 **A/N: The last bit was really just a mood lightener that I wrote for fun. Thanks guys for, at the moment, 414 views on this story, as well as all of the kind reviews! It really touches my heart. Thank you all so much!**


	11. Chapter 11

Baz shuffled out into the kitchen, eyes squinted. He spotted Simon and smiled, walking to him and kissing the top of his head. Simon smiled back, wearily. 

"So," said Baz, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sipping from it quietly. "My family has a ball every year around Christmas. If you wanted to go, I can call my dad..." he said awkwardly, still staring at his coffee. Simon looked at him, confused. 

"Oh, um, do you want to?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"I need to go either way, but it'll be less awful if you're there" chuckled Baz, smiling. Simon rolled his eyes. 

"Well, I guess I should make an appearance" he said, mockingly adjusting his shirt. Now it was Baz's turn to roll his eyes. 

"So I'm taking that as a yes?" Asked Baz, also raising his eyebrow. Simon chuckled. 

"Yes, so long as I don't get murdered by egotistical vampires" 

"No promises"

The next few days were uneventful, thank god. Agatha went to stay with Penny and Simon had to buy a tux. The night before, Simon and Baz left for Baz's parents' house (mansion, castle, tower, thing). They piled into the car, Baz sliding the key into the ignition. It hummed to life and they slid easily through the rain. Their car was black and sleek, with tinted windows and made very little noise. 

"Well, this should be fun" said Simon awkwardly, fiddling with radio adjustments. Baz laughed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. 

"Describe your definition of 'fun', because it certainly doesn't match mine" he grinned, showing his now smaller but still noticeable fangs. Simon grabbed his hand and kissed it. 

"Well, anywhere you are is fun for me" he said, looking up at Baz, who snorted. 

"Really? So if I were being murdered and you were standing a foot away but couldn't do anything, that would be fun?" 

"Well, okay, so not _all_ places with you. But most"  
Baz nodded and smiled with his mouth closed. Baz was like this almost every time he tried to be affectionate. He always posed a counter point and was always cool, cruel, and secluded. It was one of the reasons Simon loved him so much. He leaned over and kissed Baz's cheek, causing him to swerve. 

"Christ Snow!" He cried, righting the car. 

"I didn't expect you to react so badly" he said, laughing. "Did you ever know that you arch your back like a cat when you're scared?" He laughed more, patting Baz's back. 

"Yeah yeah, I've been told before" drawled Baz, rolling his eyes. 

"By who?" Accused Simon in a high tone. 

"By all of my previous boyfriends" whispered Baz quickly. Simon smacked him on the arm and Baz laughed, keeping the car on course this time. 

"How many other boyfriends?" Asked Simon, carrying on the joke. 

"Hmm, well let's see, there was one, two, three, four, five... oh! And six!" He counted, looking sideways at Simon who faked shock. "Nope" he said, grabbing Simon's hand and kissing his curled fingers. "You're my one and only, Snow" 

"Words I've wanted to hear since seventh year" 

"Really?" 

"Of course" 

"Well, in that case we should make up for lost time" he said, kissing Simon's hand again, who blushed slightly. 

Their hands stayed intertwined for the rest of the car ride. When they finally pulled into the castle mansion thing, though, they were forced to part. Baz walked up to the door and rapped on it three times, to which it was promptly opened by a maid. 

"Welcome back, young Mr. Pitch. May I take your bags?" She asked with a slight bow. Baz waved her off, saying to let his father know they had arrived. She nodded and walked off, and Simon and Baz ascended the staircase to his old bedroom. It was perfectly clean and organized, everything lined up perfectly. Penelope would be proud.  
The many carved gargoyles on his bed and a chest were moving their heads to follow them as they walked. Baz collapsed onto the huge bed, still taking up less than half. 

"Ah, home sweet home" he said sarcastically. Simon plopped down next to him and stroked his head, pulling a happy grunt from Baz. Simon chuckled and leaned back slowly, staring at the ceiling. His eyes slowly shut. 

"Hey" said Baz, prodding his side. Simon grunted and twitched, opening one eye slowly. Baz laughed again. He had been doing a lot of laughing lately. "Remember that one time we were kissing in here?" 

"That was a lot of times, Baz" replied Simon, closing his eye. 

"No, I mean, when we were over there because we were too uncomfortable to kiss on the bed, and a maid walked in?" He asked, an amused expression on his face. Simon thought for a moment then nodded. 

"That was the same maid" he said, gesturing to the door. Simon laughed. 

"No way! She looks totally different!" 

"Well, I think the wraith ate her soul"  
Simons eyebrows shot up. 

"I'm just kidding. The wraith knows to only eat parts of a soul, not the whole thing" explained Baz. Simon snorted and lied back. 

"Yes because that is so much better" he said tiredly. Baz curled his body around him, placing his head on Simons stomach. And the two fell asleep right there.

Baz was looking at Simon. He always woke up before him, and so, naturally, he spent a lot of time watching him sleep. It's not weird. A tear threatened to spill from his eye but he blinked it back.  
 _'I'm going to lose you'_ he thought. He tore his attention off of Simon and around the room. _'I'm going to lose all of this, but I'm mostly going to lose you'_ the tear made a small, craggy line down his face, falling onto Simon's hand. Another tear fell onto the sheets. There was no way to stop this. He would die. Reversing necromancy was even more dangerous than casting it, and required such huge amounts of magic. Only Simon has that much. Had. He had that much. 

"Baz?" Asked Simon groggily, sitting up. Baz jumped back, just avoiding falling off of the bed. 

"Jesus Christ Snow some warning first!" He cried. Simon wasn't paying attention. He was focused completely on Baz's watery, bloodshot eyes. 

"Baz" he said, cupping his face between his hands. Baz's lips were forced to pucker out from the force Simon was using. "You've been crying" 

"Oh, no, it's just an allergic reaction to all of the dust" he said, gesturing around them. Simon looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Vampires don't have allergies, and this room has been kept strangely clean" he pointed out. Baz winced.  
 _I'm going to lose you._ Baz shook his head away from Simon, sitting up and looking away from him.  
 _I'm going to lose you_. Simon leaned up also.  
 _I'm going to lose you_. Simon pulled him down into a kiss.

 _I'm going to lose you_. They split and Baz saw Simon's eyes shining with tears. And he realized something.

 _You're going to lose me._ Baz choked out a sob and dived down, holding Simon around the waist. Simon held his head, kissing the messy black hair and giving a calming "shh" every once and a while, even though he himself also wanted to break down and cry. But he couldn't. He couldn't do that to Baz. So instead he held Baz, letting tears stream quietly down his face. Simon wished that he had never been this chosen one. If he hadn't, none of this would have happened. They wouldn't be being hunted.  
" **Shh, it's okay** " he whispered, putting more force into his words. Baz went quiet and sat up stalk still. He looked at Simon, his face contorted with shock. Simo sat up also. 

"What!? What's wrong?" He asked, heart pounding. Baz shook his head, sucking on his fangs. 

"N-no, Simon, did you just use magic?" He asked, voice low but almost scared. 

"W-What!? No! Baz, it's all gone. All of it" he said shaking his head. 

"Well, you certainly didn't draw it from me" he said, wanting to pat himself. 

"N-No! Wouldn't I have felt it if I still had any?" 

"Yes, but... I don't know! Maybe it's coming back slowly, here, try again"  
Simon did, muttering lines under his breath, but nothing happened. 

"I guess it was just a fluke or something" said Simon, eyes falling. Baz still looked at him and slapped his own forehead. 

"Of course!" He cried, taking Simon's hands. "Simon, what happens if you leave a bucket out in the rain?" 

"It fills up" 

"Slowly, but yes, it fills up. And what if you were to, say, put a lid on that bucket." 

"It wouldn't fill up" 

"Exactly!" Exclaimed Baz, eyes wide. Simon watched him, still confused. "Okay" he started to explain. "You are a bucket, and the magical atmosphere is the rain. You've had a lid on _something_ and you finally took it off, allowing the rain to fill you up! What did you finally let go?" Asked Baz, watching him excitedly. 

"I was just thinking about how I wished I had never been the chosen one" 

"Yes! Yes yes yes!" Baz cried, using all his willpower to not tackle Simon. 

"But wait, that doesn't explain why I had magic a minute ago and not now"  
Baz rolled his eyes. 

"Let's say your bucket had a tablespoon of water in it, just enough for you to cast that spell, and you took the bucket and poured the water out. You'd have to wait for a while to get more water, but it will happen!" Baz almost cheered. Simon's body was naturally rejecting this. What if Baz was wrong? What if his magic wouldn't return? 

"Baz I don't know. My magic left, it's gone. And what if it does come back and I start ripping apart the magical atmosphere again? What if the Humdrum comes back?" Asked Simon quickly, getting more and more nervous. Baz looked at him sadly, grabbing his shoulders. 

"First of all, you can't take back all of your magic. Rather than having the explosive power of a damned super nova, you'll have normal levels of magic. Your body was built to hold magic, so the magical atmosphere will naturally want to fill you, but not to the point where you're a god, just to the point where you can use normal spells and such. And the Humdrum won't come back. It's like stepping on a glass cup. We pulled out the glass and now the wound is healing. Just because the wound is healed doesn't mean that the glass will come back" he explained sitting poised forward. 

"How do you know all of this? It's like you've done this before" asked Simon, looking at his hands. Baz laughed lightly. 

"It's basic logic, Simon. Really, did you ever pay attention in magic atmosphere class?" 

"That was a class? I don't think I took it" He said. Baz rolled his eyes. 

"I remember, we took it together. Now that I think about it, you and lil' miss blonde over there were passing notes the entire time"  
Simon blushed as the door creaked open. Baz snapped his neck around. Baz's step-sister poked her head in. 

"You look awful" she said, hiding behind the door. Simon snorted, trying and failing to cover it with a cough. 

"Gee, thanks" said Baz, rolling his eyes. The little girl pushed her way in and crawled onto the bed. 

"Are you sick?" She asked, touching his yellow-ish skin. 

"In a way. More like poisoned" said Baz. His sister looked scared. 

"Please don't die" she said, wrapping her arms around his slim waist. Baz hugged her back with a small grin that looked more like a grimace. 

"I'll try" he said. She let go and climbed awkwardly off of the bed.

"Daddy wants you to come to dinner soon" she said, closing the door behind her. 

"I didn't realize you two were so close" said Simon, grinning. Baz shrugged and boosted himself off the bed, walking to his closet. He picked out a white button up shirt and quickly threw it on. He put on a pair of slacks and threw one to Simon, who did the same. As they walked out the door, Baz grabbed Simon's hand. 

"This will be fun. Try to not explode" he said, giving him a quick kiss before the two of them walked down the staircase and into the glowing dining room.

Simon stood in the mirror, trying to straighten his bowtie. Baz knocked on the door, walking in and tying his bowtie for him. 

"Thanks" said Simon lightly, touching Baz's elbow. Baz grinned tightly and nodded. "Hey, we don't need to do this. I know things about you and your family are...tight. I can just stay up here and sleep or something" 

"No, it's fine. I think my dad is finally accepting that I'm gay. Though, maybe we should just not kiss in front of him" Baz explained. Simon nodded. 

"What about up here?" He asked, leaning forward. Baz nodded.

Simon and Baz descended the stairs, each dressed in a black suit. The ballroom, yes, _ballroom_ , had lights strung up everywhere and fake snow scattered around. The entire room was filled with people. Woman were twirling about in extravagant, brightly colored dresses and the men were in a variety of colors of suits. Baz and Simon were two of the few wearing black.

They strolled in, Baz looking confident and practically shining in the white light. Simon followed a bit more reluctantly, trying not to slouch. A few people looked their way, but not many. A man slowly approached and Baz stopped. The man had greasy black hair and wire glasses. He bowed formally and Baz nodded. 

"Good evening, young Mr. Pitch" he purred in a deep voice. 

"Hello, Sodge. How is your son?" Asked Baz, practically sneering. 

"Very well, sir. Thank you for asking. How have you been?" 

"Fine. Have you met my boyfriend, Simon Snow?" He asked, gesturing to Simon. Sodge looked him up and down, sneering as well. 

"Heard of 'im. I didn't realize you were queer." He said, raising an eyebrow. Baz glared, allowing a few sparks to pop from his fingertips. Sodge seemed to remember who he was talking to and snapped back, apologizing profusely. Baz blinked and tilted his head, and Sodge practically scampered away.

The two continued their way down the room without talking. They were approached by a few more people who all looked very posh and formal. They finally made their way to a small door at the back and Baz pressed his wand tip to its handle, muttering a few words. The lock clicked and Simon and Baz slipped through. The room inside was especially dark compared to the bright light from the ball. It took Simon a moment to recognize the room as a bar. It was dark with golden lights. Baz strode to the counter and put his arms on it. 

"Two whiskeys" he said in a flat tone. He grabbed the drinks after they had been filled and led Simon to a dark corner. The bartender disappeared through a pair of double doors into the kitchen. Baz swirled his drink and took a long sip. Simon took a small taste and choked it down.

He wasn't a huge fan of the heavier alcohol, or alcohol in general. He could stomach champagne and even enjoyed wine, but he never had a taste for vodka or whiskey. Though it did help in certain situations such as going to your vampire boyfriend's family's ball where everybody hates you from the moment they meet you. But Baz on the other hand could stomach any alcohol, but he didn't drink often. He hated the feeling of being drunk.  
"Trust me, Snow, when you have as many enemies as I do, you'll understand why you shouldn't be drunk" he had said once when Simon had asked. Baz finished his drink, grimacing and setting his glass down. Simon took one last sip and the two stood, walking through the doors. 

"Basilton!" Called a voice. The pair looked up and saw Baz's father walking towards them. Now it was Baz's turn to be the formal one. 

"Father" he said, craning his neck. His father shook Simons hand and clapped Baz on the back. 

"Basilton I heard you beat that rat Nicodemus. I'm glad to see that you're finally standing up for yourself. And hello Simon, how are you?" 

"Fine sir, thank you" he said, nodding his head respectively. 

"Good, that's good. So how's..." he started, stopping and watching as Baz was pulled into a group of women, all chatting about how much he had grown. Baz looked back as their groups moved farther away from each other. Simon gave him a panicked look and Baz offered a sympathetic smile before being completely sucked away. 

"Anyways, how is your friend? Penelope, I believe it was?" 

"Oh, she's fine. We actually haven't seen each other in quite a while" said Simon, trying hard not to look away. 

"Oh, I hope nothing has happened to you two? 

"No, we just haven't had any time lately" laughed Simon, shaking his head. 

"Good, it's good to have strong relationships. Speaking of which, how's your and Baz's, ehrm, relationship?" 

"Good, sir. We're very happy" 

"Ah yes, I'm glad to hear that. Do you think you two might wed?" He asked cautiously. Simon stiffened. 

"Wed? Like, like marriage?"  
Baz's father laughed heartily. 

"Yes, I mean marriage. Do you two think you might have marriage in your future?"  
Simon turned bright pink. 

"I'm honestly not sure, sir. We really haven't talked about it" stuttered Simon. 

"Well, here comes Baz. I must say, if my son must marry a man, I'm glad it's you" and with that he strolled away. 

"Oh god what were you talking about" asked Baz, placing his hand over his eyes. 

"Nothing much, really, just... marriage" Simon said slowly. Baz stiffened. 

"Oh. Well, is that something you're interested in?" He asked, looking at Simon. 

"Yes. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I just think now isn't the best time" 

"I agree. How about we pick this up at a later date?" 

"Yes." 

"I love you, Simon" 

"I love you too, Baz"

 **A/N: Special long chapter for a 500 view special. This chapter was more or less a mood lifter, but some important shat went down! Don't worry, we get back to the story soon. Thanks guys!**


	12. Chapter 12

Well shit. This can't end well. Simon wants to marry me? How could that happen? How could I let that happen? He doesn't understand. His entire life, Simon has thought that he had to protect me. But that isn't how it works. I've been tailed by grief and madness wherever I go, and it won't just disappear. I feel like this is partially my fault. To understand why fully, let's delve deeper into my past, shall we?

My head was pounding, my breath was coming in short gasps. I remember looking over my father's shoulder as he ran across the grounds of Watford and seeing fire. My young brain could only comprehend one thing at a time. Vampires. Pain. Fire. Pain. Mother. Pain. Pain. Pain. I could feel the vampire toxin rushing through my veins, changing me from the inside out. I could feel my front teeth growing and pointing. I could feel... everything. I could feel the trees rushing by. I could feel the animals around us scurrying away. I could hear the blood rushing in those animals, in my father's veins, in my own veins. Life. That's what I was feeling. I was feeling all of the life around me. Then I blacked out. The next week was just flashes. Fiona and my father standing over me, casting any spells they could. And tears. Endless tears. They washed over me, drowning me. I didn't even know why I was crying or why I was sad until much later. I still remember going into my father's study one night and wandering to his desk. 

"Papa, where's mommy?" I had asked. He looked at me that night in a way he had never before. With hatred and malice. Like I was a monster. 

"Dead" he spat, finishing off a drink. "And so are you"  
I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding. My father laughed like a madman who had just been told the funniest thing in the world. He lunged forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. I screamed and tried to jump away, but he grabbed me by my ankle and dragged me towards him. "Dead, son. You are dead. Do you not recall being bitten? Do you not recall seeing your mother bitten? You really are an idiot. Probably a murderer too" he muttered, pouring himself more of the amber liquid. I was shaking, terrified. 

"M-murder!?" I squeaked. 

"Get out. Get out! Get out!" He yelled, and I scrambled away, running out the door and past a few startled maids and butlers. I ran as quickly as I could until I ran into something soft. A gentle hand touched the back of my neck. 

"Oh Basilton, my dear, why are you crying so?"  
I looked up into the warm brown eyes of my grandmother. She was the kindest woman after my mother that I had ever known. 

"Grammy, Father is scaring me. He said I was dead, and that I was a murderer! I swear Grammy I've never hurt anybody!" 

"Well of course not! He's an idiot and a drunk. Now Basilton, come with me and I'll explain a few things to you" she extended her hand and I took it. She led me to one of the reading rooms and we sat across from each other next to a fire. 

"Basilton, do you remember back to a week or so ago?"  
I shook my head. 

"Do you remember Watford? You were there and Vampires attacked. I'm sorry to tell you that they killed your mother. But before that, they bit you. You know what happens when a vampire bites you, right?"  
I shook my head. 

"You become one of them. If they bite you, you become a vampire"  
I gasped, shaking my head. She nodded sadly.  
"You're a vampire, Baz"  
I breathed in shakily and she took my hands again. 

"Basilton, you don't have to be one of them. You can choose to be good. What you are doesn't define you. Please, I lost my daughter. Don't make me lose my grandson too" she pleaded. I nodded. And a few months later, my dearest grandmother lay in bed, dying. I was the only one in the room. 

"Basil" she rasped. I jumped, reaching towards her hand. She took it weakly and I squeezed lightly. 

"Don't let the darkness take you. Don't let it take you" and she took a final breath and died. My lip quivered and I bit it. I leaned forward and I kissed her still warm cheek. 

"Don't worry, Grammy, I won't. I love you" I forced out. A few tears shakily swam down my cheek and I wiped at them. Someone knocked at the door, but I didn't move. It opened and I could tell without looking up that it was my father. I could hear his shoes tapping against the tiled floor. He gently and hesitantly laid a hand on my head and I looked up from the corner of my eye. He wasn't looking at me, but at the floor. We stayed like that for a few minutes before he patted my head. 

"Good talk, son" he said and walked out the door. A few minutes later a nursemaid walked in and ushered me to my bedroom. 

"Don't worry, child. You'll be okay" she said and closed the door. I didn't sleep at all that night. I sat on my bed and stared at the wall until another maid came and got me for breakfast. This night was the one I went over in my head that night at Watford in my first year. I was sitting in bed and looking at the ceiling. My hand unconsciously drifted to my forearm. The skin was still raw from the branding, but the mark was there. The upside down pentagram with four wings. 

'Don't let the darkness take you' she had said. But I had. I had let it take me. I had followed those vampires out of Watford, let them kidnap me and join me to their cult. And the brand... that would have been the most painful part, you know, getting your flesh burned, but the ritual took that crown. They took my magic and used it against me, warping it, turning it black and evil. Then they put it back into me. It felt like my insides were explode. Speaking of explosions, there were plenty. Fire burst from my fingertips, setting the nearby trees, shrubs, and vampires on fire. Not many made it out alive, I know for sure that I wouldn't have. If it hadn't been for Snow.

Cocky arse he was had to come and save my life. I remember black, and then light, and then heat. Then Snow was standing over me, trying to see if I was alive. I used all of my power to groan and twitch my hand and he breathed out in relief. Then he put me on his back and ran until we hit the wall of the school and we passed out against it, still holding hands. The door raised at dawn and we were able to enter the school. We didn't let go of each other until Simon noticed the brand.

It was still new, so it was hard to see what it was. It just looked like a scorch mark and a lot of blood. Well, a lot for me, that is. He tried to urge me to go to the Mage, but I refused. A vampire that was part of a dark magic cult. Yeah, because the Mage certainly wouldn't kill me. Instead I let Snow fumble with magic and bandages for a while and went to bed. A few months later, I started noticing things. Things like the same person appearing over and over again near me on the same street for days. Eventually I turned down an unexpected alleyway and he followed me. I jumped on him when we far enough down the road and pointed my wand against his throat. 

"Who the hell are you and why are you following me!?" I hissed at him. He held up his hands. 

"P-please master! We are the same" he said, neck flaring against the tip of my wand. He carefully gestured to his arm. It was that damn familiar symbol. 

"We are not the same" I growled. And with that I set him on fire. He was the first person I ever killed. I didn't even think about it, it just happened. I stumbled back, patting at sparks that had landed on my clothes. And I ran. I ran as far as I could. I ended up on the outskirts of the Watford grounds. How I was able to run the miles of empty land, I don't know. I guess it was adrenaline, mostly. I felt awful. But the thing is, I went back to them. To the cult.

I chose to be their king, their god. I thought I had all I wanted, until I realized how much I wanted Snow. How much I _needed_ him. I left them for him, even though I knew that, at the time, he could never love me back. But then he did. I was foolish for thinking that they would just let me leave. They thought that if Simon were to become one of them, I would follow him. And they were right. If he became a vampire and urged me to come back, I would do it in a heartbeat. But things are different now. Simon is getting his magic back. With him, Bunce, and me, we may have a fighting chance. We are by no means giving up. They took the most precious thing I had, and I would get them back. This is war.

 **A/N: I'm so, so sorry for the long delay on this chapter! I've been sick and had to make up a ton of school work. I'm also entering my local writing competition, so I've been stressing over that. Anyways, thanks for the support! PM me and let me know if you all think me entering a legit contest is a good idea please, I'd really love to get some feedback. Thanks guys**


	13. Chapter 13

Baz's head snapped up, nearly hitting his head on the wall. He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the darkness. He was in his study. Apparently he had fallen asleep at his desk... Again. He was sweating, but not from heat. He had had that awful nightmare again. He had been having the same one since he was small. He was swimming in a pond, barely skimming the surface. A piece of seaweed would hit his leg and he would jump, plunging into the water a bit deeper. Another piece would wrap his leg, soon followed by another and another, each dragging him under. When he would break the surface again, the world was ablaze. Everyone he loved stood around him, being burned slowly. His mother, his sister, and Simon were all being burned to death and he would look down and see the fire pouring from his hands. He would be plunged under water again and wake with a start, every time. Shaking, Baz stood and awkwardly shuffled down the hall to his and Simon's bedroom, wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed and sleep for a few more hours, but his stomach growled.

Sighing, Baz changed his course and walked instead to the back door. He put on his coat, sliding outside and closing the door behind him. His breath plumed white in front of him. One thing about this poison that was technically bringing him back to life was that, of course, his body temperature was rising. He wasn't used to being this hot. Literally. He walked through the thick snow, trying to shake snowflakes out of his black hair. Up ahead he saw one of his traps had been triggered. He wandered to it and carefully unwrapped the hare. It barely flinched at his touch. He held it close, trying to get its blood flowing faster. Finally it twitched and kicked a leg. Baz withdrew a black case out of his coat and pulled out a needle filled with a clear liquid. He pricked it into the rabbit's fur making it wriggle a bit. And he waited. For about five minutes he waited for the drugs to completely numb the rabbit. Finally it stopped moving, its heart barely beating, and he completely drained the creature, trying to force himself to be cold and brooding as he had before. It didn't work. He finished and placed the carcass in the snow, turning away. He had the strangest feeling that he was being watched. Which he was. He walked farther along the moonlit path, listening carefully to his footfalls. When he stopped suddenly, he smiled. An out of place step. He coughed and kept walking until he reached a cliff. He stood a few yards away from the edge and tensed. Quick steps, panting, the crunch of snow. Just as the person reached him, Baz reached back and grabbed their arm, swinging them over himself. He kneeled on their chest, holding their hands above their head with one hand. Baz looked down, surprised to see a young man, no older than himself. He had been clutching a small knife, which had fallen about a foot away. 

"Now who the hell are you?" Asked Baz in a strangely calm voice. The boy shook violently, scared out of his mind. Baz rolled his eyes, trying not to get frustrated. "Okay, come on. I at least need a name" he said flatly. The boy, in response, clenched his jaw, making it obvious that he wasn't going to speak. Baz, sighing, pulled out a piece of rope he had brought for his trap and quickly tied the boy's hands together. Baz stood and picked up the knife, preparing to hurl it off the cliff. He stopped suddenly when he saw an engraving on the blade. Curious, he carefully tucked it away into his pocket. 

"Alright, up we go" he said, tugging the boy up and towards the house. 

Baz banged open the door, yelling for Simon. He came running out of the bedroom a moment later, eyes blurry and hair messy. 

"What!? What!? What's wr- wait, who is this?" He stuttered, gesturing at the tied up boy. "Baz, it's three o clock, why do you have a hostage?" He asked, looking suspiciously at Baz, who put on a mock hurt face. 

"Wow, you instantly assume that I'm in the wrong? For your information, he came at me with a knife. Go put on a shirt and follow me" he said, pulling the boy down a staircase and into a basement. Bending the boy's arms awkwardly, he was able to sit him in a chair, keeping his hands tied. Simon came bounding down the stairs, still looking confused but more awake now. 

"Okay, simple questions. Who do you work for?" Asked Baz, clearly annoyed. The boy watched him blankly. He choked back a growl, which quickly turned to a cough. 

"Baz?" Said Simon, watching him with concern. Baz waved him off, stumbling out of the room. A few seconds later they heard a sink turn on upstairs. Simon, with clenched fists, turned on the boy and grabbed him by his shoulders. 

"You see that?" He growled, pointing at the floor where Baz had been. A few splatters of blood were now shining on the concrete. The boy gulped and nodded. "Up there is the man I love most in the world, and he is dying. And I need to stop whoever is doing the killing. So you had better fess up the answer before I beat it out of you"  
The boy's eyes were wide and scared, but he slowly shook his head. Face reddening, Simon prepared to hit him. He shook his head more vigorously. He opened his mouth wide and Simon gasped, taking a step back. The boy did't have a tongue. 

"Okay then" said Simon after a moment. "Yes and no questions, then"

Baz leaned up, swishing water in his mouth. When he spit it out, it was a deep red. His head was pounding and his stomach ached. He stood shakily and made his way to the stairs, attempting to walk down. He stopped a few steps down and sat, breathing deeply, face contorted with pain. He felt as though he had been punched in the jaw. With an iron. He raised a hand to his mouth and quickly pulled it back. In a panic, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He quickly turned to the camera and switched it to face himself. He slowly pulled back his lips to reveal... Nothing. His fangs were gone


	14. Chapter 14

"Aaaah. Aaaaah! AAAAAH!" Yelled Baz, starting to panic. They were gone. His fangs were just... Gone! "Simon!" He called out. Simon ran up the stairs a moment later, crouching beside him. 

"What's wrong?" He asked shakily. Baz opened his mouth. Simon, once again, gasped and took a step back. 

"They're gone! They're gone and I'm gonna die" whispered Baz to himself. Simon, blinking, grabbed his face firmly. 

"Listen. Listen to me! You aren't going to die. We can fix this, okay?"  
Baz had tears glistening in his eyes, but blinked them away. He closed his mouth and nodded. Simon hugged him as hard as he could, making Baz cough a bit and wince. Simon quickly let him go and they laughed tensely. 

"Okay, so, shall we go question that guy?" Asked Baz, accepting Simons hand up. 

"Actually, funny thing, he doesn't have a tongue" explained Simon. Baz looked at him, bewildered. 

"So, just yes or no questions then?" 

"That's what I said!"  
The two descended the stairs, each trying desperately to hide their worry. Baz was trying to keep from making Simon panic, and Simon was trying to keep from panicking. They entered the room and watched the boy watch them. 

"So" said Baz, crouching in front of the chair. "Can you write?"  
The boy nodded eagerly before remembering his hands were tied. He wiggled them a little. 

"Good. Next question. Did Nicodemus send you?"  
He nodded again, somewhat more hesitantly than before.  
"Are you lying?"  
He shook his head quickly.  
"Are you sure?"  
Nod. 

"Okay. Well, final question for now. Is there a cure to this poison that I've been infected with?"  
The boy didn't move. Baz glared menacingly, raising a lip. With a sigh, the boy ever-so-slowly shrugged his shoulders. Baz exhaled quickly and angrily.  
"How do you not know?" He growled. Simon's stomach tensed, knowing Baz may accidentally catch something on fire...again. He took a deep breath and stepped back, putting his hands on his eyes. 

"Okay" he said, slightly more calm than before.  
"You work for Nicodemus, yes? Okay, good. So who the hell is this Morgana?"  
At the mention of her name, the boy's eyes widened in fear. He grunted and shook his head vigorously. 

"Well, that was some reaction for someone you don't know" pointed out Baz innocently. The boy shook his head again furiously. 

"Do you know where I can find her?" He asked, glowering at the boy. He, scared out of his wits, gave a strange, strangled sound from the back of his throat. He lashed around violently, as if trying to break free. Baz and Simon stepped back, watching the boy struggle. The ropes started tearing his skin, rubbing it red and raw. Blood rose to the surface of his skin, making Baz's head pound. The smell of warm blood was about ready to make him lose it. Until he remembered he no longer had fangs. The thought made him feel strange, empty. Baz heard a snap and glanced up, wincing. The boy had struggled so hard to the point where his wrist was bent at an odd angle. That didn't seem to stop him though, seeing that he still kicked about.  
" _ **Stop!**_ " cried Simon next to him. Baz shivered, feeling Simons magic for the first time in years. The boy stopped instantly, joints locking and back arching violently. Finally he slumped back in his chair, breathing hard.  
"Are you done?" Baz asked calmly. The boy nodded slowly, eyelids drooping. Both Simon and Baz fell forward to examine the injured wrist. It was purple and swollen, still bent awkwardly.  
"Okay, this might hurt a bit..." Said Baz, grabbing the boy's hands in both of his. He quickly snapped it back in place. Simon winced at the crunching noise he heard, but calmed when he heard the boy sigh in relief. Baz stepped back, staring at the blood now splattered across his hands. They shook violently as his pupils shrunk and grew rapidly. Simon placed his hand on Baz's back. Baz immediately turned to a bin they had tucked into the corner and retched. His hair stood on end and he started sweating. With a few final, spluttering coughs, Baz stood. He was much paler than Simon had seen him in weeks, his skin taking a green tinge. He shook violently and looked about ready to fall over. Which is exactly what he did.  
'Dammit Baz, don't pass out. Don't pass out. Don't pass- shit' he thought to himself as darkness filled his vision. 

"Baz!" Cried Simon, watching the love of his life pitch to the left suddenly. Simon lunged forward, just barely catching him in time. Simon picked up Baz easily. He was significantly lighter than whatever could be considered healthy. When was the last time Baz had been able to really feed? It had to have been a while. At least a week. How he had held together so well, Simon had no clue. 

"Okay, Penny. We need to get to Penny" he mumbled to himself. The boy watched on, unable to say anything, as Simon ran up the stairs. A moment later a door opened and slammed shut again, followed closely by a car starting. The boy sighed. This would be a long night.  
~0~0~0~  
Simon charged into Penny's apartment, face numb. Penny, who had been typing furiously on an old laptop, jumped back, raising the hand with her ring protectively. She quickly lowered it, standing when she saw Simon. Noticing Baz cradled in his arms, she instantly knew something was wrong. 

"Pen," panted Simon, trying to catch his breath. "He, his, he's..." He tried to start over and over again. He took a breath and swallowed.  
"His fangs are gone and he hasn't properly fed in a long time. I-I'm not sure for how long" he sighed, looking at Baz in a mix of worry and pain. How had he not seen this? He should've at least noticed Baz's odd behavior in the past week, which now seemed painfully obvious. 

"Okay, bring him here" said Penny in a firm tone. Simon carefully set Baz on her couch, but sat next to him on the floor, not daring to let go of his cold hands. He watched in silence as Penny examined Baz's body. Finally, she waved a hand over him, muttering some incantations. A shimmering purple glow settled over him and a bit of color returned to his face. Simon breathed a sigh of relief when Baz's hand squeezed his. Penny sat down next to Simon, looking at the pair with concern. 

"Okay, so he is clearly malnourished. And, as you said, his fangs are just...gone" she added, a bit of wonder in her voice. Simon sighed, knowing that she was expecting answers. 

"I was kidnapped a while ago by Nicodemus" he began, ignoring Penny's gasp. "Baz came and got me, but he got poisoned. It was by some witch named Morgana. Sh-she used necromancy on Baz" he finished, forcing all emotions out of his voice as his heart clenched. 

"Simon" started Penny after a moment. "I need to tell you something. Actually, a few things"  
Simon looked up, questions in his eyes.  
"So, I did a bit of digging around for that cult that attacked us, and I found out that Baz was their king" she said slowly, watching Simons face closely. She was shocked when he just nodded. 

"I know. He told me. But that was a long time ago, and he isn't one of them anymore" he said, clearly stating that there was no room for argument. Penny nodded. 

"Yeah, and the other thing. You said the witch who poisoned Baz is named Morgana? Well, there's only one witch who's named Morgana and is powerful enough to preform necromancy..."  
Simons head snapped up. 

"Penny, do you know who she is?" 

"Yes, and she works at Watford"

 **A/N: Ooh, actual plot! Yay! Sorry this has taken so long. I've been sick, so I've been sleeping a lot. I've also been completely addicted to this other fan fiction that I found and haven't been able to set it down. And OMFG guys, we did it! We've cracked 1,000 views! Yay! As I'm writing this, I think it's at about 1,260. Thank you so much guys, and I'll try to start updating more. This is really helping me right now. A lot of my friends have started ignoring me lately, along with other things like stupid crushes. Sorry, this isn't therapy. Please review or send me a PM, and if you have any life advice, that would be very welcome. Thanks all so much**


	15. Chapter 15

Simon sat at Penny's table, bouncing his leg nervously. He was chewing his lip to the point it was starting to turn red. He glanced over at Baz's still form on the couch and once again, his heart clenched. He was surprised it hasn't exploded yet. He forced his gaze back to the screen before him. His own laptop was sleek and modern, though now it felt as though it were slugging along at an inch an hour. A small circle moved slowly around in the center of his page before finally opening a page. The top was labeled 'Dark magic' in a dark, curly print. A golden W was at the top left corner of the page. The Watford logo. He bit his lip again, worried about what he might find. 

"Calm down, Simon. Just log in with my mother's account. As headmistress, she isn't blocked from any files!" 

"Yeah Pen, but that's what I'm worried about! What if I find something I wasn't supposed to? There's a reason why your mum is the only one with unrestricted access" he had shot back. Penny rolled her eyes and, sighing, pulled Simons computer towards herself, typing rapidly. With a final click she angled it back and stood, smoothing out her skirt. 

"Don't look up anything you shouldn't" she said before grabbing her purse and walking swiftly out the door. Simon groaned now, stomach twisting itself into knots. Slowly he scrolled down until the first paragraph was visible.

 _'Dark magic is by far the most dangerous form of magic we know of. When cast, it has an awful tendency to backfire on the caster, often resulting in death. Though not much is known on this topic, one thing is sure. Do not, under any circumstance, attempt dark magic'  
_ Simon took a breath to try and calm his rapid heartbeat before reading on.

 _'Dark magic is any magic used to tamper with the natural order. This can be anything from trying gain more power to killing'_  
At this Simon took a sharp intake of breath. 

_'Trying to gain more power'_... 

The Mage had done that. Somehow he had been trying to absorb first Ebb's, then Simon's own magic. Then his stomach clenched more as he read on, skimming the line 'previous experience in with dark magic will later be more susceptible to its negative impacts'. His mind raced. Had he accidentally made Baz sick? Scanning things that apply as dark magic, he read the sharing or transfer of magic. He thought back to his final year at Watford, when the Humdrum had sent a dragon. When he had given, poured, giant amounts of magic into him. And then later that year they had done it again, somehow sitting in space, surrounded by stars. Twice. He and Baz had done dark magic, -twice-.

And Penny. At least once, he had given her some of his magic, though it was brief. Just a moment of contact that couldn't have possibly left any lasting impacts, right? Simon shook his head. Thinking that he could've hurt Baz in any way hurt so bad. It made his heart clench and burn for the umpteenth time that day. He bit his lip and kept reading, skimming things on necromancy. He sighed, not seeing any new information. He scrolled down past why you shouldn't do black magic to a tiny footnote at the bottom. 

_'The only known way to combat dark magic is with light magic'_

The words 'light magic' were a different color, which Simon recognized as a link. His mouse flew to it, clicking hard. A short page of simple notes that had been scanned into the page. 

_'Light magic: possible combatant to dark magic? Possible cure?'  
And in all caps: 'INVOLVES LOVE'_

Simons eyes shined in the faint light from the computer screen. For once in a long while, he felt something other than pain and emptiness. Now he felt a flicker of hope as he watched Baz shift slightly, the first signs of life in a long time. Now he felt something in his heart, filling him with warmth. Hope. Could there actually be some way to reverse this? 

"Simon" Baz rasped from the couch. The weakness in his voice scared Simon, and he was beside him in a flash. 

"Simon, I'm thirsty" he said, eyes uneven. His forehead and black hair were matted down with sweat. 

"I know, love. It's okay, we'll get a cure for you" whispered Simon, trying to keep panic out of his voice. "You won't die" he said in a firm tone, but his voice cracked at the end. Now it was Baz's turn to seem worried. He lifted a shaky hand and placed it on his shoulder. Simon practically lunged forward and wrapped Baz in a tight embrace, a tear making a slow, shaky path down his cheek. And they both fell asleep right there, just holding each other, as if worried the other might slip away and never return. And they could've stayed that way forever, if Penny hadn't slammed the door open in her excitement.

Simon sat bolt upright, wincing as his back adjusted. He rubbed a bleary eye and looked at Penny, who was standing in the doorway. Her skirt was torn and her arm had a bit of dried blood on it, but what worried Simon most was the crazed gleam in her eye. She walked into the apartment, shutting the door behind her. Panting slightly, she managed out four words that Simon wanted to hear most. 

"I found a cure"

 **A/N: Sorry, long wait and short chapter! But there is some new shat going on! I've had this idea for a while and I'm glad I finally got to add in light magic. I think the next chapter is going to be what Penny did in this chapter while at Watford. It'll probably be a bit weird though, so yeah. I also may get a Youtube account soon, so let me know if you'd like to see that! If I get to 2,000 views, I'll make one. Thanks guys! This means a lot!**


	16. Chapter 16

Penny closed her apartment door behind her, trying not to slam it. She sighed, knowing that Simon would most likely find something he didn't want to, something that would change him, and that worried her. She prayed to magic itself that he didn't stumble onto something he shouldn't have. Walking carefully to her car, she sped out of the small lot and down the road. She bent slightly to fiddle with the radio as soon as she got onto the quiet road that led to Watford. Finally, she came to a station she liked and sat up again. And instantly collided with something. Her eyes went wide and she screamed as her hood crinkled, the sound of metal breaking filling the air. Her forehead whipped forward, banging the steering wheel hard. Her windshield shattered, showering her in little bits of glass. Coughing and spluttering, she collapsed out of her door and onto the cold ground. Wincing, she made a note to wear pants more. She stood shakily, using her car for support. When she finally got her feet under her, she did a quick mental check of her injuries. She had a multitude of small cuts on her bare arms and legs that burnt like hell-fire. But those weren't her priority. They were small, and could be easily healed. What she was really worried about was the gash on her head, dripping blood into her eyes. She pulled her scarf off from around her neck and shook it clean of glass before carefully swabbing the throbbing area. She applied a small amount of pressure to the area until the blood flow began to slow and did a quick _get well soon!_ On her arms and legs, closing most of the wounds. Satisfied with her work, she did a scan of the area around her. Nothing. Just empty fields and dirt roads. But then, what had she crashed into? She stumbled around to the front of her car and found that the front had been bent into a strange U shape, as if she had ran into a tree or pole, but there wasn't any sign of anything that could've caused the problem. Running a finger along the still-warm metal, she felt a small tingle. Magic. Of course. Someone clearly hadn't wanted her to get to Watford, and had used magic to stall her.

"Miss. Bunce" a smooth voice purred from behind her. Penelope jumped and lifted her ringed hand, instantly going over all the spells she could use. Behind her was Nicodemus, or so she assumed. She had never really met him, but knew what Ebb had looked like through Simon, and he was an almost perfect match.

"You're going to pay for that" She rasped, only now feeling how raw her throat was. Her crumpled car was belching smoke, and it was making her throat raw and her brain foggy. Nicodemus laughed loudly, the sharp, cruel sound making Penny jump. "What do you want?" she whispered, the weakness in her own voice angering her. Nicodemus gave her a shark-like grin that matched his cold eyes.

"What, do I have to want something? Can't we just talk like _friends_?" he asked, faking hurt feelings.

"We are not friends" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Oh, ow" mocked Nicodemus, placing a hand over his heart. Penny clenched her teeth harder, feeling a bit of heat rise up to her face. No no no, she couldn't. She swallowed her anger down and wiped quickly at the blood dripping down from her forehead. "So, how is our little king lately?" He asked in fake innocence. Penny pressed her lips together into a hard line. "Oh, I'm taking that as a 'We have no idea what we're doing'. What? Don't look at me like that, tell me I 'm wrong. Come on. I want to see if I'm right!"

"We have a basic idea" growled Penny, cursing herself for even responding. Nicodemus laughed again, if one could even call it that. It was more like a short, sharp bark that made Penny cringe.

"You should give up. Morgana knows her way around a poison. You and your little gang are too stupid to find a cure" he explained, lazily checking his nails. That was it. Penny couldn't stop the fury that overtook her. No body made fun of her friends, even if it was just calling the stupid. With a sound like a gunshot she propelled herself forward, yelling in pure fury as she covered the yards that separated them in seconds. This caught Nicodemus off guard, making him flinch hard. Penny crashed into him, knocking the two back, instantly she was punching and pounding his pace as hard as she could. Within moments her rage died down, but she didn't stop hitting him. Her pupils were tiny and her eyes were glistening with tears. Even though she didn't like to admit it, she liked Baz. Sure, he could be a total ass, but Simon loved him and that was enough for her. She knew that if Baz died, so would Simon, and she couldn't let that happen. Nicodemus threw her off of him, launching her back. She landed on her back and gasped for air. It felt like a sack of rocks had been placed on her chest, not allowing air into her lungs. This was a bad move for Nicodemus though, as it only made her angrier. She felt the black seeping into the whites of her eyes and all rational parts of her brain were muted by rage. She stood and barely felt any pain. Nicodemus, was cradling one side of his face, which was swollen and purple.

"You're a strong one" He said in a praising tone. Smiling evilly, Penny launched at him again. Expecting this, Nicodemus used her momentum to fling her over his shoulder, delivering a firm punch to her gut. She landed and rolled, getting to one knee and holding an arm over her stomach. She stood and charged him again, this time dodging his attacks and instead aiming for his knee. He screamed in pain as he felt his kneecap shatter and crumpled to the floor. He gazed up at Penny, choking back tears of agony. She stood above him, loving the feeling of knowing that she held his life in her hands. That she could kill him here and now and he would not be able to stop her. No. She forced those thoughts out and gasped, stumbling back. All traces of black leaving her eyes.

"Bitch" hissed Nicodemus through clenched teeth. "This isn't your fight. I just want to avenge my sister! The only person I had in this world. She's gone now, your friend took care of that. Why don't you get that!? Please! You have nothing to do with this!" He cried, voice filled with so much pain that Penny found herself feeling pity for him. "Kill me" he rasped, tears falling freely. This surprised Penny, and she took a step back.

"Please!" he whined. "If you won't let me get my revenge, then at least end it for me! Please I can't stand the pain anymore!" Penny tried to stop the pity she felt for him, but couldn't. Nicodemus looked into her eyes, pleading, and sighed when he saw that she wouldn't do it.

"It wasn't her fault, you know" said Penny weakly. Nicodemus's head snapped up, a new rage burning within his eyes. Penny took a shaky breath and continued. "Agatha tried to help-"

"Oh stop lying. You saw her running. What about Simon? She left him to die just as much as she did Ebb. All she cared about was herself, saving her own skin. She didn't even say anything to you guys after, did she? Just high-tailed it to California!" He yelled. Penny bit her lip, feeling more anger inside her. But this time it wasn't directed at Nicodemus, but at Agatha. He was right. She had left them all to die.

"Shut up!" Shouted Penny, making Nicodemus jump. "Agatha couldn't have done anything! If she had stayed, both of them would've died! The person who killed Ebb is dead! Simon killed him! Now would you give up your stupid revenge bullshit!?" Penny spat. She only cursed when she was really angry.

"Ebb could've gotten away! She was gone, but came back to save that girl! If she hadn't, she would be here today!" Shouted Nicodemus, face flushed. Penny took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"That was Ebb's choice. She knew what she was doing when she went back to the chapel. She wanted Agatha to live" She explained in a calming voice. It took her a moment to realize he wasn't listening anymore. He wasn't even conscious anymore. Penny sighed and used a bit of magic to close the lethal cuts and to stop internal bleeding. He wouldn't die here. Penny cast her eyes over the ruined car and sighed again. Raising a hand, she focused on the front gates of Watford and was suddenly there, the pointed metal rods seeming to glare down at her. She ran a finger on the cold metal that swung open under her touch. Penny walked quickly along the lush lawns and to the wing containing the headmaster's office. Using the small elevator that rushed up to the top. She knocked quickly on the door.

"Come in" came her mother's voice. Penny opened the door and walked to her mother's desk, who looked up from what appeared to be tests ready for grading.

"Penelope!" she cried, standing and running around to the other side of her desk. "What happened?"

"Do you remember the old goatherd? Ebb? Yeah, well, her brother is trying to kill us. We had a bit of a… scuffle on the road" she explained as her mother cast spell after spell on her daughter, mending cuts and cleaning blood.

"My god, the fun never ends for you three, does it?" her mother asked in a grim tone. Penny laughed darkly. "Might I ask why he is trying to kill you?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Penny sighed and sat in one of the many plush seats.

"So Ebb was killed by the Mage, but her brother blames our…friend Agatha"

"And why does this involve you?"

"I don't even know. Simon wanted to help her, and I couldn't let him get killed. A whole bunch of crap happened and now his boyfriend is poisoned and is probably going to die, and now we need a cure, but the person who poisoned him works here and he's going to die soon but he can't die because that would kill Simon and we need to get the antidote from Morgana" rushed out Penny, trying not to cry.

"Morgana? The teacher?"

"Yes!"

"Penny, dear, are you sure?" her mother asked, sounding unsure.

"Yes! It's the only person! Mother, please, she did Necromancy!" Cried Penny. Her mother shot up and turned, reaching up for a book. Pulling it down, she leafed through the pages until she found one page. Marking it with a sticky note from her desk, she handed the book to Penny. Looking uncertain, she read the paragraphs. Gasping, she looked up at her mother, who nodded. Penny choked a sob and nodded back, the many questions going unspoken. Penny tucked the book away and turned towards the door.

"Penny dear" Called her mother. Penny turned to look at her with damp eyes. "Be strong"

Penny nodded and continued down and across the lawn. She pulled her thoughts together and teleported back to her small home. She sighed and rested her back against the door, breathing the cool air. Forcing on her biggest smile, she pushed through the door, rousing Simon and Baz as it slammed the wall.

"I've found a cure!" she called, trying not to cry when she saw their intertwined hands. Her eyes fell onto Simon and Baz's faces. She knew that one of them would probably die either way. Was there nothing she could do to save her friends?

-0-0-0-

"Simon, you might die attempting this" Pleaded Penny.

"I don't care" he replied for the tenth time. "I'm the only one who can do this. I'm the only one who loves Baz enough"

"I know, but Simon, what if you die? What'll happen to Baz then?"

"And if he dies while I stand by, knowing I could've saved him?" growled Simon, hair standing on end.

Penny sighed. "Okay. When do you want to do this?" She asked, defeated.

"As soon as we can"

 **A/N: Ooh! Can you guys smell it? *Sniff sniff* the end is nigh! Don't worry, everything will be explained in the next chapter. Here's the late 1,000 view special, I guess. Thanks guys!**


	17. Chapter 17

"Okay" Penny sighed in defeat. Her heart laid heavily in her chest. "So you know what to do?" She asked. Simon nodded, not looking up from the floor. "Okay" she sighed again, voice cracking. She and Simon hugged tightly and she gave him a kiss on the top of his head before standing and making her way out of the room. Simon sighed and looked to the bed behind him. Baz was laying stalk still. The only signs of life were the occasional pant for air and the sheen of sweat covering his body. Simon took a shuddering breath and stood, reaching for a knife. It was sharp and sleek. He lifted it to his neck and made a small, shallow cut.

He winced at the stinging sensation and gathered the dripping blood on his finger. He could feel the magic in him exploding like tiny bombs. It knew as well as he did what was about to happen. He leaned forward and carefully shook Baz awake. He flicked his eyes open and panted openly. He stopped suddenly when Simon held up his blood coated fingers. His stomach growled loudly. He began to panic and forced himself back into a sitting position. 

"Snow what are you doing!?" He cried, not able to tear his eyes from where the blood was gushing out of his neck. 

"Take it Baz" said Simon, bending his neck to be he left, exposing more of his neck. Baz sat still, trembling. 

"S-Simon, I can't" he hissed from between clenched teeth. 

"You can" was all Simon whispered before Baz practically lunged at him, burying his face in Simon's neck. Simon winced and hissed as he felt his skin being punctured and blood being drained. Simon had donated blood before, but that was nothing compared to this. Baz was sucking his blood faster than you would drink a glass of water.  
" _I love you_ " said Simon, pouring in as much magic as he could. Baz grunted and tightened his hold on Simon, digging his fingers into his back. Simon's vision swam.  
" _I love you_ " he said again, trying to just pour out magic. He was starting to see black dots. A few tears fell down his cheeks from pain and knowing that he wouldn't survive.  
" _I love you_ " he said again and again until he could feel the last drops of his magic being taken away. The two were flung to opposite sides of the room with a sound like logs splitting open. Simon banged his head on the back wall and slid down, leaving a small trail of blood. Baz was luckily launched onto the bed, bouncing back onto the floor. For a moment everything was silent. 

"Simon" croaked Baz. He used the corner of the bed to pull himself up, face flushed. "Simon!" He called again, seeing him crumpled against the wall. He pulled himself by his fingertips across the room to where Simon was. Every part of his was shaking, felling pure energy flowing in veins. Christ, was this how Snow felt all the way time? Baz let out a small, choking sob as he dragged Simon into his lap. 

"Oh god Snow, you idiot" he whispered, but it sounded like a shout. He pressed his ear to Simon's chest, listening desperately for the thumping of a heartbeat. But there was nothing. Baz held his breath, straining for even a tiny beat. A tear trickled down his face until... _bud dum_

Baz let out his breath as he heard the small flutter finally grow stronger and more regular. He watched Simons face with wide eyes as a bit of color returned. Baz noticed blood still gushing out of his cut and fumbled for his wand, casting a 'get well soon'. The cuts and two puncture marks instantly closed, leaving just a pink mark. Simon groaned and arched his back, making Baz almost gasp. Simon would live. Of course he said would. The great Simon Snow wouldn't be taken down by love. No, it would be a dragon or demon that would do him in. 

"Simon" whispered Baz, placing a hand on his cheek. Simon groaned again, nuzzling into Baz's cold Palm. 

"Baz" he grumbled, throat raw. A few tears pushed out of the corners of Baz's eyes, but he paid them no mind. Baz choked a sob back and hugged Simon tightly, breathing in his scent of bacon and homemade cinnamon rolls. And _life._

"Simon Snow, you thumping idiot. You bloody idiot. Oh god I love you so much" said Baz through his massive grin. He felt like his heart was about to burst. Simon grinned at him win half lidded eyes. 

"Yes, but I'm your idiot" he said with a grimy voice, but to Baz it sounded as sweet as an angels song. 

"Yes, you are" laughed Baz, running his thumb along the curve of Simons cheek. He hummed happily and pressed his face against his hand. The two stayed like that for a few minutes until a tear fell on Simon's nose. He jumped and looked up at Baz, who was craned over him with tears falling. 

"Baz?" Asked Simon, forcing himself into a sitting position. 

"Simon, why the hell would you do that?" Questioned Baz. The unexpected question made Simon jerk his head back. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Your magic was coming back. If you had died, the world of mages could've gone with you. If I had died, everything would've still been fine" he explained, questions in his eyes. Simon looked at him, still confused. 

"Because if you had died, I would have died too" he said, like it were the most obvious thing in the world. Baz chuckled. 

"You might've died anyways" he said grimly. 

"But I didn't" laughed Simon. Baz rolled his eyes and delicately fingered Simons golden curls. 

"Simon Snow, what am I going to do with you?" He asked lightly. 

"I'm not sure. Maybe pamper and love me forever?" He answered, looking up at Baz with wide, innocent eyes. Baz snorted but continued to play with his hair. 

"Something like that"

"Oh dear god Simon!" Cried Penny, voice slightly muffled through the phone.  
Simon laughed lightly and quietly. "Yeah. I guess that 5% of survival really loved me" 

"Yeah, I guess. So, is Baz okay?" 

"He's fine. He actually just fell asleep. I don't know. Hey Baz, you awake?"  
Penny laughed as she heard Baz grumbling angrily from the other side.  
"Yeah, he's fine" 

"I couldn't have guessed" snorted Penny. The two sat in silence for a minute. 

"So how's Agatha?" Asked Simon in an awkward voice. 

"I'm not sure. Wasn't she staying with you two?" 

"..." 

"..." 

"Shit" 

"Oh god how long has she been gone!?" Penny screeched. Simon winced and held his phone a few inches from his ear. 

"Shit shit, okay" said Simon, anxiously running a hand through his hair. "I saw her just the other day" 

"And when I saw Nicodemus yesterday, he didn't act as though he had killed her, or even knew where she was" 

"Okay, so, someone else kidnapped her?" 

"I guess" 

"Okay" breathed Simon. He glanced at his alarm clock. 12:07 glared up at him. He felt all of the fatigue from the past few days weigh heavily on his mind and yawned. 

"Well, there's nothing we can do now. Go to bed, we'll regroup tomorrow" 

"Okay. Oh god I hope she's okay" said Penny with a yawn of her own. 

"I'm sure she's-alive" sighed Simon, clicking his phone off. He rubbed his eye and laid back, mind racing. He felt Baz grab his hand and smiled, squeezing. Then he reached up and turned off his lamp and the second his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

 **A/N: Agh! Important stuffs going on above! Sorry this is hella rushed, I was so excited to get it uploaded! I feel like we need a mood lifter, so I'll post a fluff side story next. Speaking of fluff, I've been thinking of posting one for Valentine's Day (a snowbaz fic, of course) so look forward to that. We're so close to 2,000 views and I'm really excited. Thanks so, so much guys. Really, this is the only reason that I deal with shit from people in real life and on the internet. Because I know that I'm bringing a small glimmer of joy to a few people, and that encourages me to write more. Thanks so much**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: This takes place just after Baz gets poisoned! Don't worry, we get back on with the story next chapter!**

"Simon!" called Baz from his study. Simon came sprinting in, eyes wide, fearing Baz would be dead or on fire or fighting an angry demon. You know, the normal stuff. Instead he was just sitting in his chair, reading. He looked up and snapped the book shut when he saw Simon.

"What? What is it?" Simon whispered, checking Baz over quickly. Nope, his leg was still there. Thank magic.

"Nothing, I just…" started Baz, seeming stuck for words, which was rare. Simon pulled up the desk chair and sat, taking both of Baz's in his own. Baz sighed, leaning forward and giving Simon a kiss on his forehead. "Remember when we were at Watford, and, well, not, technically we weren't _at_ Watford, we were technically at my house, over that break? Just after our first kiss?"

Simon nodded, remembering the night vividly. The driving all around London. The vampire club. The fire. Baz trying to kill himself, then… the kiss. Yeah, that night had its ups and downs.

"I had asked you why you didn't think. Do you remember the answer?"

Simon felt a pang of guilt in his heart. That had been the first time he had told anyone the truth about his life. They all knew it, though they didn't acknowledge it. The words ran through his head now…

 _Because it doesn't matter. In the end, I just do what's expected of me. When the Humdrum comes after me, I fight him. When he sends dragons, I kill them. When you trick me into meeting a chimera, I go off. I don't get to choose or plan. I just take it as it comes. And some day, something will catch me unawares or be too big to fight, but I'll fight anyway. I'll fight until I can't anymore-what's there to think about?_

It was all true. One day, he would encounter something that even he couldn't handle, and he wouldn't plan. He'd fight to his last damned breath, and it would kill him. He didn't have the luxury to plan or strategize. Just to kill and destroy anything in his path. He didn't have a future and they all knew it. He nodded and bit back a tear. Baz watched him closely, practically reading his thoughts. The same ones were going through his own head.

"Simon, what if this is that big thing we can't handle?" he asked, eyes like balls of glass the Simon refused to meet. He had also thought about that.

"I'll be happy then" the said, not taking his eyes off the wall. He sighed and put on his most cheerful look. "I'll die with you"

Baz rolled his eyes, making a guttural _ugh_ in the back of his throat.

"Simon, I'm serious. I don't want you doing anything like this for me. You'll die and you won't even see it coming because you'll be so blinded by rage you won't be able to tell whose helping and who's trying to kill you!" Baz practically shouted. Simon looked down at his palms. "Simon" started Baz again, quieter now. "I don't matter. Magic lives and dies with you. You're practically made of it. I die, a couple people mourn, so what? But Simon Snow, if you die, we all die too"

"Goddamn it Baz!" shouted Simon, standing quickly, enveloped in rage. "When will you stop? You think that no one would care if you live or die but that's not true. I care, Baz!"

Baz was standing as well now, leaning slightly forward.

"I know! I'm not saying you wouldn't, I'm just stating the obvious! You're more important than me! You are _everything_!" hissed Baz, stretching back the last word. Simon blinked.

"Simon I was watching Doctor Who the other night. River song had the best line to describe us. She said that loving the Doctor is like expecting a sunset to admire you back. That's exactly what it feels like with you. You're a fucking star, and I'm just a piece of icy rock caught in your orbit" He sighed, all fight seeming to leave him. Simon stared, eyes wide.

"Baz, is that really how you feel?" Baz nodded. "Baz, it's completely opposite for me. When I'm with you, I feel more powerful than I ever did with my magic. You are my everything, Baz. When we were first dating, I didn't believe it. I told myself over and over again that it was a mistake, that you were playing some cruel joke. But you weren't. Basilton Pitch, I will love you until I die, weather that's years and years from now or tomorrow. Just know, that no one has ever had my heart like you do now"

 **A/N: I do not own Doctor Who or River Song! Just wanted to say that. Here's my mood lightener chapter, I guess. I was re-reading Carry On, again, and I read the line from Simon and just had to write a chapter about it. I didn't even plan for the Dr. Who part, I just suddenly found myself typing it. The end is a bit rough, but I'm hella tired, so, goodnight guys. Please review or follow or fav. Those make me happy**


	19. Chapter 19

"Okay, so, what leads do we have?" asked Penelope, turning to face Baz and Simon from the chalkboard.

"None" Said Simon flatly, chin resting in his palm.

"Wait, we have one…" said Baz, looking at Simon, who looked back curiously. "The hostage"

"You have a hostage!?" Screeched Penny, looking shocked and disgusted. Baz sipped his tea nonchalantly.

"He tried to murder me" he pointed out. Simon nodded, but Penny still seemed unconvinced.

"And you're holding him captive!"

"Yes!" exclaimed Baz, pointing for emphasis. "That is typically what one does with a hostage, is it not, Bunce?"

Penny rolled her eyes and _tsk_ ed.

"Let's go ask him some questions" She said grumpily, shaking chalk dust from her shirt.

"Ehrm, he doesn't… talk…" said Simon, a bit awkwardly.

"What?" Asked Penny sharply, whipping her head around. "Why not?"

"They, whoever hired him, that is, cut out his tongue" spat Baz, an undertone of malice creeping into his voice. Simon put a hand on his shoulder and he took a deep breath, calming down.

"Can he write?"

"Yes"

"Well then, let's go"

-0-0-0-

"Okay" hissed Penny through clenched teeth. "For the last time, just write down the name. _Now_ "

The boy winced, feeling the angry magic pouring off of Penny. Fearing what might happened if he pushed her more, he shakily put the pen to paper and began to write a single name.

 _Morgana_

"I knew it!" Penny and Simon cried in unison.

"Of course. Who else would it be! I say we charge Watford now!" stated Penny, slamming her hand onto a table and making them all jump.

"Bunce, that's stupid" interjected Baz from the corner he had been lurking in. "We charge Watford and-what? We go into this Morganas classroom and demand she free Agatha? What makes you think that she will? Or that she won't have to power to blast us to pieces the moment we enter the room?"

Penny paused, not expecting Baz to use, *shudder* _logic._

"You're right" she relented, sighing.

"We need a plan" Baz explained. "First thing, are we absolutely sure that this is the Morgana we're after?"

Penny nodded vigorously. "Yes. I've read her files. She's gotten warnings from the council about toying with necromancy, but they've just been warnings because they never actually had proof. And she's a poison expert. She knows how to make and cure them all" Penny exaggerated, eyes gleaming.

"Okay. How about this. I, for one, am tired of being stalked. It's _really_ -" he glanced at the boy in the chair. "Getting old. We make her the prey for a change. Let's follow her, at least until she's alone, then we strike"

Penny and Simon nodded. Baz's stomach growled. He sighed and blushed.

"I'll, uh, be back soon" he growled, eyes narrowed. Simon watched him go up the stairs and heard a door slam before following. Penny watched him leave and sighed.

"Lovebirds"

-0-0-0-

Simon used his phone flashlight to follow the deep tracks Baz left behind him. He entered a clearing and just barely glimpsed a bit of blood and a body of…something… lying in the snow before him. He flinched and turned his light instead to a rustle he had heard in the woods behind him.

" _Snow_ " Baz hissed, flinching at the sudden light in his face.

"Sorry!" cried Simon, quickly flicking it off.

"What are you doing here? Why are you following me?" He accused, lowering his arms. Simon looked up at him guiltily. He sighed, brushing a gold curl out of his eyes.

"I don't know, I just, you seemed upset" he said lamely.

"I am upset" said Baz flatly. "But it's nothing that you can help with"

"Try me"

Baz huffed angrily, eyes flashing. "Fine" he hissed. "Simon, I was so close. So, so close. And you stopped it, reversed it, and now I'm further than ever" he almost shouted. Simon just stared, confused, until a wave of understanding washed over his face. Of course. While he had been staring into space, Baz had crouched down and was sitting in the snow, face in his hands. Simon kneeled next to him and gingerly wrapped his arms around a trembling vampire. _His_ trembling Vampire.

"Baz, I-I had no idea…Oh god Baz" was all he could get out. Baz had also hugged Simon back and was shaking and trembling violently, tears staining Simons shoulder.

"I could _feel_ it, Snow. I was alive, I was really, really alive. I was in the light. But now I've just been plunged back down, deeper than before. I'm so lost" he whimpered, sounding like a wounded animal. Simon just held him and tried not to cry himself. He had hurt Baz. He had hurt Baz so bad. But, what was he expected to do!? Just sit back and watch Baz die? He couldn't have done that, either. How could he?

"Snow" rasped Baz after a minute.

"Yes, love?" replied Simon softly.

"I died. Really died. I'm not sure for how long. I was out in the forest and I just died. And I knew it was death. I could sense it. The Grim Reaper was finally here. And everything was white, and I was happy. I knew that everybody I cared about was safe, and that they knew I loved them. I was _happy._ Then I saw my mother. Actually, I heard her first. She just kept saying the same thing over and over again. _It's not your time. It's not your time._ I remember stumbling around, trying to find her, until I was just back. And I can't explain it, but it happened. I know it did. And now I'm back, and you're all in danger again"

Simon didn't move. He couldn't. Baz had just told him that he had died, that he was happier dead. So Simon stayed where he was, tears moving silently down his face. They stayed like that until the sun started to shine once more.

-0-0-0-

 _The veil is lifting. I'm lifting it. Oh Nicky, I can see everything you do. Why? Don't you know? Trying to kill the girl, trying to kill Simon? I made the choice to save Agatha that day, even though I knew the consequences. It's hard to do, but I'm using every last bit of magic I have to see you again. Please don't do anything rash until then._

 **A/N: Oooh plot twist! Please don't be angry! Sorry this took a while. I've been getting writers block lately. It's almost February where I am, anyone want to be my internet valentine? ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

_Sorry guys, another update. But it's an important one! I'm going on a hiatus. But don't panic! Instead, look forward to February 14th! That's when I'll hopefully have a couple new chapters for Revenge in the Snow and maybe a new story! Thanks so much for the endless support. It really helps and means so much to me_


	21. Chapter 21

Baz was crying. So was Simon. Baz was shaking. So was Simon. Baz finally fell to his knees, pulling the sword of mages, now stuck in his gut, down with him and out of Simon's hands. He let out one last shuddering breath and fell forward, now dead to the world. Simon didn't move. For a while he just stood, trembling, crying, and watching the snow before him slowly turn a bright red. And he kept watching Baz _not_ move, _not_ get back up. The forest around them was silent. Until Simon let out a guttural sound half way between a laugh and a sob. He reached up into his hair with both hands and grabbed tightly, wincing at the pain and taking a step back. He moved his hands down to his ears. He swore he could still hear Baz's voice. _Simon, Simon…Simon! Snow! SIMON FUCKING SNOW!_ Then the world went black.

-0-0-0-

" _SIMON FUCKING SNOW!"_ cried Baz, shaking Simon.

 _Oh god what happened!? What if he doesn't wake up! Oh gods Simon don't you dare do this to me…_

Baz let out a sigh when Simon's eyes fluttered open. He was caked in sweat and tears and was still trembling violently. His pupils were pinpricks.

"B-Baz?" he whimpered, still looking confused. Baz took both of Simon's hands in his own, kissing the palms.

"Yes, Love. I'm right here-"he got out before Simon lunged forward, burying his head into Baz's shoulder, body ravaged with sobs. Baz placed a hand carefully on Simon's back, just where his spine was.

"Simon, Love, what is it?" he cooed, trying to sound as calm as he didn't feel. Simon didn't answer, just kept trembling, coughing out the occasional sob. Baz took Simons shoulders and pulled him off, moving his hands to his flushed cheeks.

"Simon, please, what happened?" by now Baz's stomach was twisting itself into nervous knots. Simon took a deep breath and swallowed.

"I-it was j-just another nightmare" he said shakily. Baz looked unconvinced.

"Simon, I've known you for so many years. I know how you react to 'just another nightmare', ad that wasn't it. I know how to pull you back from the edge, but this time I couldn't. That wasn't _just_ anything"

Simon sighed again, this time in defeat. "I-I can't…" he mumbled, more tears blossoming forth to replace the others. Baz wiped them away with a cool finger.

"You can"

And that was all Simon needed to launch into his story.

"I still don't really know what happened, or why I reacted so badly, but I…I think I killed you…" he forced out. Baz's mouth was a stiff line, his eyes reflecting worry and fear.

"Simon…" he started, but couldn't find the right words to say. "You didn't. I'm right here, see? I'm fine, you're fine, and we're all fine"

"Agatha's not" Simon pointed out. Baz bit his lip and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I'm fine and you're fine"

"Thanks" whispered Simon, leaning into Baz's chest and falling into that black oblivion we call sleep.

-0-0-0

"Penny?"

"Baz?"

"Yeah"

"My gods Baz it's three o' clock what happened this time?"

"I'm not actually sure. But, it's Simon…"

"OH DEAR GOD WHAT HAPPENED"

Baz winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"He's fine! Calm down! He's sleeping now. But, he had a nightmare or something…"

"Basilton, he's always had nightmares."

"Don't call me that. And this time it was different. I usually know how to pull him back, but this time I just…couldn't. It was worse. He was screaming and crying and trembling and he wouldn't wake up. It took me a few minutes to even be able to make him open an eye. And it took him a really long time to calm down. He was just sobbing and shaking for a while"

"Yeah, that does sound worse than usual. Did anything...happen?"

"Other than him practically giving me a goddamned heart attack? No-"

"I meant, well, he didn't _go off_ , did he?"

"..."

"..."

"..." 

"Baz, did he?"

"Sort of, kind of, I don't know" Baz growled, snapping the pencil he had been holding. He cursed and reached for a new one, twirling it between his long fingers.

"How do you _not know?"_ Penny asked shrilly.

"It was like him going off, but smaller. There was a faint red haze, but nothing was burning. And I could feel the magic coming off of him. But it didn't _feel_ like his magic. It was different. His magic feels like fire. This felt like a block of ice had settled itself in my abdomen. Penny, is it possible that his magic changed?"

"What? No!"

"But Penny-"

"Baz, that's unheard of!"

"So is he! So was the Humdrum! Penelope you can't honestly think that unheard of is a valid reasoning for something to not be possible!"

"...that's true, I guess, but still,"

"Penny, seriously. I-I don't think we should tell him he went off-"

"Agreed"

"Wait, really?

"Yes. If he knew that, though he was a danger, it would destroy him. Literally"

"Yeah...that's what I was thinking"

"Okay, well we can't do anything now. Go sleep. You'll need your energy for tomorrow"

"Hah, yeah, that should be fun. Good night"

"Night."

-0-0-0-

The next day Baz, Simon, and Penny met at Penny's apartment around 5:00. They were sitting around a table, tea in hands. Maps of Watford dominated most of the room.

"How about here…" Penny wondered out loud, pointing at a small clearing in the woods. Baz pressed his eyebrows together and made a path through Watford using his eyes.

"That might just work" he said thoughtfully. Penny beamed.

"So she works here" he pointed to a small square on the map. "And she lives here…" he dragged his finger across the beige paper to a small cluster of rooms. "And we know she leaves the school every weekend and enters the forest here" more dragging across wrinkled paper. Penny nodded more. Baz sat back in his chair and sighed.

"Well than, that's it. Tonight, we strike"

 **A/N: Yay! Hiatus is over! Sorry for the long, long wait guys! Check out a new story I just posted,** _ **Violin Lessons**_ **, if you haven't already. As an apology, here's an awkward story of mine: My school is doing this thing where we can send a flower to our friends for Valentine's day, and I was going to write one to my crush from Anonomys, but people were watching me, so I put my actual name and instead of writing something sweet, I just wrote:** _ **God this was a waste of my money…**_ **And this is why I'm alone. Thanks for 3,000 views! I love you guys!**


	22. Chapter 22

Nicodemus was crouched low to the forest floor. He lifted a lip in disgust. He forgot how much he hated his old school. Especially the people inside. How they had cut him out, wouldn't even let him see his sister. _Disgusting. All of you. Filthy little rats who have let their egos grow bigger than their brains. Little rats who assume that being a mage is the greatest thing. That everyone_ wants _to be a mage._ He thought. _Well, you're wrong._ He stood silently, watching the three magelings he had been tracking for the past half day follow closely behind a shadowy figure. They entered the woods just a few yards away from him, and he held his breath, praying that Basilton didn't catch his scent. He didn't. Up ahead he heard a growl. _That damn Snow child. He thinks he can get whatever he wants if he growls loud enough._ He waited until the four people had a good lead before taking a less direct route, following the sound of their crashing. That was, until he saw, just ahead of him, a white, shining figure. _Ebb._ He stopped, mind going blank. Then from far off, someone screamed.

-0-0-0-

Penny, Baz, and Simon all crashed into the clearing at the same time. The trees were thick and dense around them. Three paths branched off in front of them. Impatient, Simon growled and marched forward to the middle path. He stooped and picked a piece of paper off of the ground.

" _Basilton,"_ He read aloud, eyes flicking to Baz uncertainly. _"Before you lies the path of your past, present, and future. Every question will be answered, every answer will have a question. But be warned. The want for knowledge has put others on a_ fiery _course"_

The three of them didn't move. They didn't even breathe. "There's another one," stated Simon after a moment, strolling to the path on the far left. He picked up the other piece and scanned the first line.

"Penn-"

"Read it"

" _Penelope Bunce. Most would describe her as a smart girl. Always knows what to do. But what they don't realize is that she's falling apart behind the scenes. If you wish to repair this damage, travel onwards"_

Penny was practically in tears but her eyes were alight with malice.

"Where's yours?" asked Baz, accepting the paper Simon handed him. Simon nodded to another small piece on the ground in front of the path on the far right. He went to receive it and opened his mouth to read. Though before he could utter a word, Baz reached out and took his hand. "You don't have to do this"

Simon just stared into his eyes, a blanket seeming to fall over the once piercing gaze. He opened his mouth again and read out loud once more.

" _Simon Snow, the Mages Heir. Such an impressive title for such a pathetic child. One who can't even control his own magic. One who has to use another as a vessel. The secret to your ability to control magic lies ahead, but so do many trials. Ones you must face alone"_

He stopped reading and looked up. The three stared at each other, each gripping their paper tightly. Finally, it was Baz who broke the silence.

"No. No, we aren't playing her sick little mind games. We are not splitting up!"

"Baz-"

"No! Come on, we'll all go with you" he stated, walking to the path on the far right. The moment he tried to step into it, though, he was blown back. He thumped against a thick tree trunk and slid down, grimacing in pain. Penny screamed, its sound echoing around in the forest.

"Baz!" cried Simon, sprinting to his side. Within moments Baz was able to breathe again, gasping for the life giving substance. He coughed and spluttered a bit, waving away Simons attempts to help and rose shakily to his feet. He shook out one leg, letting his ankle stretch and roll, wincing again.

"Don't touch the barriers" he coughed. Penny rolled her eyes and turned, looking down the far left path. She took a few steps forward.

"Penny, no!" cried Simon again, watching as nothing happened. She stepped a few more feet down the path and turned back to watch them.

"Sorry Baz, I think we have to go down our own paths" she said with a small shrug.

"No! We'll go back if we have to! We can find another-"he cut himself off, turning and stopping abruptly. The way they had come was covered by the same green field that had been covering the right path just before it blew Baz back. Now that they had a close view, they saw that it was moving, runes swirling over the surface like a bit of oil floating in a bowl of water. "Shit".

-0-0-0-

"Okay," Penny breathed. "We have no other choice. I'm sorry, but I personally think we should go through with it. It's our only option" she huffed, turning towards her own path. She turned her head back slightly and looked at them out of the side of her eye, offering a small smile. "See you guys on the other side" she said, taking off down her path.

"Pen, wait!" called Simon, but was forced to watch helplessly as her back slowly disappeared, swallowed by the darkness.

"She's right" whispered Baz, placing a cool hand on Simon's shoulder. Simon nodded and let his shoulders fall in defeat. Baz leaned forward and gave him a small kiss just behind his ear and turned, stalking to the middle path.

"Baz wait!" sobbed Simon, stopping himself just short of being blasted into last week. Baz turned and made eye contact. "Please" he pleaded, holding out his arms. Baz was there in a flash, face buried into his neck.

"Don't do anything stupid" he mumbled, his voice being muffled by Simon's sweater. Simon, not trusting his voice, just nodded.

"I love you, Baz" he croaked. He felt Baz's arms tighten around his waist, providing a comforting pressure in his chest.

"I love you too, Snow" he said back. And when Simon leaned in for a kiss, he didn't object. It started tight and closed mouthed, but soon Baz's mouth opened, his tongue sliding into Simon's mouth. Simon couldn't stop a small whimper from escaping the back of his throat, traveling into Baz's. He drew back quickly, concern blotting his features.

"Hey, it'll be okay. Okay? We'll see each other soon. Hey, _look at me_ " he pulled gently on Simons chin, angling his face up. "Remember? I told you that I would always be the one to do you in, and when have I ever lied?"

Simon chuckled quietly. "Quite a bit, actually"

"Yeah, but besides that. And if anything tries to hurt you, I will burn down this damned forest to get to you"

Simon smiled, and felt himself calm down slightly. Baz always had that impact. He could just make people calm. And Simon certainly wasn't complaining about it now.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

And the two split, each heading into his own path to the unknown.

 **A/N: oooh! I sense some serious sh*t coming up! *Ominous music plays***


	23. Chapter 23

Baz tore through the underbrush, perusing the robed figure.

"You're _not_ getting away from me this time" He growled under his breath. And he believed it. Until he didn't. He charged suddenly into a large clearing. He could've screamed in frustration seeing that he was alone. Where did she go? How did she get out? Baz stepped forward and gasped as reality warped around him. It seemed as though the trees and the night sky were being pulled into a single point ahead of him, being quickly replaced by warm beige walls and oak wood floors. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling. The ceiling… Baz had been here before. A long, long time ago. He was in the Watford nursery. Everything even looked like he remembered it. Nurse maids were bustling about, feeding and playing with the wailing children. For a moment he panicked, thinking one of the maids was walking towards him, but he was mistaken. No, she wasn't walking to him,instead she walked _through_ him. Baz shivered slightly, a slight metallic tang in the roof of his mouth. He coughed and spluttered a few times before looking at his hands. They were transparent, nearly invisible.

 _Of course_ , he thought, placing his head in his hand, half expecting it to go straight through. _I'm in a memory. But why this? Why no-_ he thought, whipping around as the doors were blown open. His heart sank. Vampires. He reached for his wand, before realizing that he couldn't do anything. He watched as one Vampire picked up a young boy with dark hair and bit him. The boy screeched and kicked, but was only dropped when a woman standing in the doorway set the vampire alight. He howled in agony and blew apart into ashes. Baz watched this woman, his mother, closely. Her eyes were completely red, small flames flickering out of the corners of each. They also skipped and danced around her body, but never setting her on fire. She raised both hands and with a sound like a battle cry smashed them down, fire spraying like water from a hose. Surprisingly, though, when a flame hit anything other than a Vampire, it just sprinkled out of existence. He watched in horror as not one, not two, but three vampires jumped on her. And they all went up. One last surviving vampire ran to the window and jumped out, landing nimbly on the lawn twenty feet below. Out in the lawn stood someone that Baz recognized instantly. Though he was younger than Baz had ever seen him, there was no hiding that pencil moustache just above his lip, which raised in a sneer as he looked up at the nursery. Even from his spot at the window, Baz could see him mouth one word.

 _Pathetic._

Then everything folded back into itself again, being replaced once more by trees and a brightly glowing moon. He was on the dirt floor, panting, tears shining in his wide eyes.

"What does this mean? What do you want? I already knew the Mage is the one who killed my mother! Guess you're a bit late!" He shouted at the sky. Nothing responded but the wind, whistling through the treetops.

-0-0-0-

Penny walked boldly through the dark forest, shoulders squared. Her dark hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun, but a few strands had fallen out and were hanging in her face. Her eyes were shining in the moonlight. She saw a flicker of movement ahead of her and gasped, startled. Her eyes focused, and she saw that it was a small frog. Strange. She didn't expect a frog to be this deep in the forest, so far from the moat. Then the world seemed to be sucked into one point. When Penny could see again, she gasped. She was standing in the grounds behind her elementary school. A group of children all stood over a small girl with brown hair, who was crying and clutching something in her trembling hands. 

"Hey!" Cried Penny. "Stop!" She ran towards the group of children and passed straight through them. None of them acted as though they could see or hear her. Penny turned around, staring in bewilderment. She walked right up to one of the sneering little girls and kneeled in front of her. The girl didn't do anything. Penny reached out a hand and poked her shoulder. Her hand passed straight through. Then memories rushed back to her. She turned and looked at the little girl, who was screaming now.

One of the boys had gotten whatever was in her hand. Penny didn't have to look. She remembered that the boy would be holding a frog that appeared to be made of glass. It was transparent and squirming, trying to escape the boy's violent clutch. She heard a few of the words that were being said.  
"Freak" "weirdo" "nerd" "ugly" "fatty". 

A few tears gathered and stuck to her eye lashes. She turned away and covered her ears, but she knew what happened. No matter how hard she pressed, her hands couldn't block the crunch that accompanied the boys squishing the frog underfoot. Then everything imploded back into a single point and she was back in the forest. A light laugh tinkled to her right, and she whipped around, just catching a glint of teeth through a smirk, and she was alone.

-0-0-0-

Simon sighed, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. It was cold and dark, but Simon felt numb. He pulled a hand out and tried to force just a little magic up. Sparks flew from his palm like a sparkler. He grimaced and forced his magic back down. Was it wrong that some part of him actually wanted to go through with this? He wanted to control his magic. A flicker of fire burned in the middle of a clearing ahead of him, and he sprinted to it. It was…strange. It wasn't burning on anything. It was just burning a few feet above the ground. Simon watched curiously. It almost seemed like there were pictures moving inside. A twig snapped behind him and he whipped around, reaching for his wand.

"B-Baz!?" he sputtered. Baz didn't move, and was wearing a cold expression Simon hadn't seen directed at him for years. "Baz?" he questioned again. Baz opened his mouth to speak. But his voice was wrong. It was cold and mocking.

"Pathetic. You can't do a single thing without him, can you?"

Simon took a step back, looking like he had been slapped. 'Baz' sneered.

"You can't even function if he isn't there with you. Hell, you can't even use your own magic right without him"

A few tears formed in Simon's eyes but he blinked them back. He hung his head. He felt a soft hand lift it, and he was looking into Baz's pale eyes, but they were gleaming with malice. Simon saw a gleam of fang.

"I hate you so much more than you could imagine"

That sent Simon reeling backwards, tears clouding his vision. To hear Baz saying that to him, it broke him. He felt a punch in his gut and he flew back, smacking his head on a tree trunk.

"You're just a pathetic little mewling, crying for its _dead_ mother"

That was it. Something inside him snapped, and Simon got to his feet, red shimmering in front of him. Baz just watched him and laughed. Simon felt his magic rising, just like it used to, but it was different. Weaker. Because _he_ was weaker. But it was still there. Sparks flew from him, igniting the dead grass around him. His vision cleared and Baz wasn't there. His teeth gritted, just as he felt an arm wrap around his torso, and a knife sink into his back. He heard an explosion of magic around him, then one, final word.

" _Pathetic"_

 **A/N: Oh gods I'm so sorry for this. First the wait, now this. UUUgh this chapter is SO bad, I can't even explain it. I'm really sorry.**


	24. Chapter 24

Nicodemus shook violently in the underbrush. This wasn't real, it wasn't happening. He glanced up, and yet there she was, glowing faintly, still wearing her old ratty Watford scarf.

"WH-why are you here?" he asked, voice shaking violently. It, she, Ebb, leaned forward slightly and placed a hand on his back. He shuddered slightly and looked back up. Suddenly he wasn't scared anymore. Her hand was her hand, her face was her face, and her eyes were her eyes. Kind and warm, but now seeming just a bit drained, empty. The tingle of magic that once surrounded her was gone. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke. Her voice wasn't as gruff as it used to be. It was more musical, like a wind chime. Yet it was so familiar, tears rose to Nicodemus's eyes.

"Nikky. What a mess you've made. Why would you do those things? Try to kill the girl? Try to turn Simon? I don't what that. I chose to go back into the chapel that day. I knew I would die, but I had lived a good life, peaceful and happy. She didn't do anything. Please, give up this childish revenge"

Her hand shifted to the top of his head and gently patted. She grabbed his hands and yanked him up, almost causing him to lose his balance. She gave him a tight hug and whispered into his ear.

" _Help them"_

And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

0-0-0

Penny tripped over a tree root and fell into a large clearing. A small shack was in the middle, a single light glowing in the window. Her heart was pumping out of her chest. She was terrified. What had happened? Where were the others? Were they hurt? Were they dead? She took a shuddering breath. She had felt it. The magic. It scorched and burned, just like it had used to. Simon had gone off somewhere. A twig snapped behind her and she whirled, hands raised defensively, already muttering under her breath.

"Oh calm down. I broke that twig on purpose so I wouldn't scare you to death. We both know I can be much quieter" came Baz's voice from behind the trees. He took a step forward, moonlight illuminating his features. Penny sighed and lowered herself to the forest floor, tears finally breaking free. Baz walked forward and crouched in front of her, giving her a tight hug.

"So you felt it too?"

Penny nodded, not trusting her voice. Her stress and worry felt like a black hole in her stomach.

"He might not come back. You know that, right?"

Penny shook harder, but nodded anyways. It was the inevitable truth. They all knew it. And it hurt.

"I know it hurts" he said, as if reading her thoughts. "I love him more than I should, and know him better than anyone. So trust me when I say; He'll do anything he can just to be a pain in my ass for a little bit longer." Penny chuckled lightly, wiping at her cheek. Baz leaned back and smiled as softly as Penny had ever seen him. He stood and offered her his hand, which she accepted. Baz crossed back over to the tree line and sat on a long rock. Penny walked over, sitting next to him. For a while they sat, staring into the darkness.

"What do we do now?"

Baz sighed and leaned back against a tree, trying to calm the itchy black void that had settled in the pit of his stomach. He was scared. He was tired. But most of all, he was worried. Worried for him; for Simon. He breathed out slowly through his nose and sucked on his fangs.

"Now? We wait."

0-0-0

Red. It was all Simon could see. It was all he could feel. His senses returned slowly. He smelled the smoke, saw red, and felt pain. He could taste blood from a jagged hole in the side of his mouth. He groaned, feeling his wings unfold. One hit something soft and warm, which staggered backwards. Simon sat up quickly, heart beating erratically. Someone groaned beside him.

"Yeesh. You try to do something nice, and get beaten up by a fucking wing. Well, that's just life, isn't it?" grumbled Nicodemus. Simon narrowed his eyes. He slowly remembered all that had happened. He felt around his midsection, and found it tightly bandaged. He looked back at Nicodemus.

"What did you do?" he growled. Nicodemus scoffed, faking hurt.

"I found you in a clearing, bleeding out, and instead of leaving you, I healed you and bandaged your wounds"

Simon gritted his teeth, climbing carefully to his feet. "Why? Why did you help me?"

Nicodemus sneered, fangs glistening. "Now Snow, is that how you were taught to thank someone?"

Simon burned red, anger flaring up inside of him. "Thank you" he forced out. Nicodemus laughed.

"Well, let's just say I've had a change of heart" he said dismissively. Simon snorted and stretched. After a moment, he walked towards the break in the trees, tail dragging in the dirt.

"H-hey! Wait up!" called Nicodemus behind him. He didn't stop, continuing to stroll down the narrow path. Nicodemus leaped forward, tugging on Simon's scaly wing. He whipped around, slapping Nicodemus hard across the face. It probably wouldn't have been as hard if it weren't charged with magic.

"Don't touch me." He growled. Anger felt like it would swallow him whole and he felt ready to go off again. "I'm grateful that you saved my life. But I swear to god if I see you again I will kill you where you stand" and he turned back, walking along the path. This time, no body followed him.

0-0-0

Simon crossed the tree line and saw a small shack in its center. He heard a gargled cry from his left and turned just as Penny wrapped her arms around him. She was crying, but this time out of joy. She finally released him and sniffled slightly.

"Where's Baz?" he asked, looking over Penny's shoulder.

"Right behind you" he smirked, watching Simon whip around. Baz took a step forward and went to hug Snow, who flinched back, crossing his arms.

"Simon?" he asked, hurt ringing out clearly in his voice. Simon looked away, still remembering the words that the other Baz had said. He knew it was stupid and idiotic, but it was keeping him from embracing Baz as he so wanted to do. Penny coughed, and Baz _tsk_ ed.

"Well, now that we're all here," said Baz, coldness in his voice. "I guess we should go in"

 **A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope it's better than the last one. Thanks for all the support and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

Baz carefully eased the door open, wincing every time it creaked. He finally got it open and lit a small flame in the middle of his palm, holding it high and casting deep, grotesque shadows across the room. It was a relatively small room that was nicely decorated. A couple of small loveseats were angled to face a table. On the far wall was another door. The trio stood in the doorway, not sure what to do.

"T-there's a door…" Penny pointed out shakily. Simon swallowed and nodded slowly.

"I don't like this place, it just feels…" he trailed.

"Wrong?" Baz finished for him, taking another step farther into the room. "Like the walls are shouting for us to leave?" He chuckled grimly, taking another few steps, stopping in the center of the room. When he reached it, he held out his arm, the one not holding any fire, to stop the others. He held completely still, but Simon noticed his arm trembling slightly.

"What is it?" he whispered, the knot in his stomach and chest growing with every breath.

"Can't you smell it?" Baz asked, voice low and mournful. Simon and Penny exchanged confused glances as Baz walked to the nearest wall, gently laying his hand on it.

"How many deaths have you witnessed? How much blood have you seen spilt?" He asked, voice still low.

"Baz?" Simon asked tentatively, following him to the wall. "What are you doing?"

"Of course you can't smell it. You guys have such… limited senses. Th-there's so much blood in here. Some newer than others. It's everywhere, suffocating. And it's all human. There's so damn much of it, Simon…" He suddenly turned violently, eyes alight with rage. He threw up his arms, circling the room. "Huh?" he shouted. "How many people have you murdered in here? HOW MANY?" he cried, shoving one of the couches across the room and banging hard into the wall.

"Baz!" Simon shouted, knowing full well that Baz could tear the place apart with his bare hands if he so desired. Baz turned again, and Simon's blood ran cold. Baz's pupils were mere slits, his fangs fully out. He was panting lightly, but more from rage than exhaustion. Simon slowly held up his hands, staring Baz in the eye.

"It's oka-"

"No, Snow! None of this is okay! None of it. People have been murdered here! Hundreds and hundreds of them!" he shouted, throwing his arms up again.

"I know, but there's nothing that we can do about it. So just calm down, take a breath, _please"_

Baz's form shuddered, and he clenched his jaw. The fire in his palm was moving and flickering unnaturally, glowing a crimson red.

"Calm down? Snow, You know just as well as I that it's not that damn _easy!"_ He kicked another love seat, sending it tumbling across the room. Simon had to jump quickly out of the way, and by the time he had regained himself, there was another one headed straight for him.

" _ **Stop!"**_ Simon shouted, pouring some of his magic into it. Baz halted instantly, muscles locking. He stared open mouthed at Simon, struck silent as his body was forced to the ground by the sheer weight of the one word. He wound up on his back, legs bent at opposite angles to each other as his face was forced against the red-tinted ground. He grunted slightly, the only sound he was able to make. He met Simon's eyes, which were wide.

"B-Baz, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't think that would happen" he whispered, seeing the panic and fear rising in Baz's eyes as he continued to struggle against his paralyzed body. Simon felt the guilt of what he had done rise up his throat, making him feel like he was about to cry. What he had just done was unforgivable. Taking control of another's body was one of the worst things someone could do to another living thing. He hadn't expected the spell to do that, but he must've lost control, let just a little bit too much magic slip out. He whipped his head around to look at Penny, who had her hands over her mouth.

"Penny please, how do I undo this?" He asked, practically pleading.

"S-Simon…." Was all she whispered back. "H-how-"

"Pen, _please_ " he begged. "I don't know the counter spell"

Penny swallowed and lifted her hand shakily.

" _Recludam"_ she said quietly but firmly. Instantly Baz started breathing deeply, scrambling to his feet shakily. He just stood there for a moment, breathing and staring at the floor.

"Baz, I-" Simon took a step towards him. Baz glared at him with one eye through the gap in his hair and held up a hand, pointing at Simon.

"Don't you fucking dare" he hissed, straightening up. Simon swallowed again, stepping back this time. Baz took one last deep breath before turning and striding to the door on the other side of the room. He opened it and disappeared into the darkness.

 **A/N: hnnng this is not my best work. Sorry for the hella long wait guys. I've just been stressed. It's super hot where I am, I'm drowning in schoolwork, and my Bio teacher is such a bitch she makes me want to quit. So, yeah, some stuff went down in this chapter. Will their relationship be okay after this? Who knows? Not me! And for anyone interested, Penny's counter spell is unlock in Latin. Please review! Thanks so much for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26

Baz trudged through the darkness, holding his flame close, just barely letting it tickle his clothes, pulling it away when the sparks got too close. Penny followed a ways behind him, staying just at the edge of the shadows, trying to be silent. Simon was behind her, walking in a sedated way. He couldn't believe he had, that he could do that. And to Baz. To Baz of all people. He had thought the spell would just calm him, just to make him calm enough to stop kicking things. He hadn't expected it to literally force him to the ground, to paralyze him. He didn't think that he had used that much magic. He wanted to take it back, wishing it had never happened. He wanted to lunge forward, to grab Baz and hold him, to beg and plead for forgiveness, and yet he stayed in the back, head down, lost in though. He glanced up when the other footsteps stopped. Baz's figure was silhouetted against a dark, blood red door with runes carved into it. Baz slowly extended a hand and grabbed the handle, turning it so agonizingly slow. The door swung open in squeaky hinges, causing them all to cringe slightly. A few candles sprung to life as they entered the room, causing grossly elongated shadows on the walls. The candles flames themselves were dull, flickering halfheartedly. The room smelt dusty, as though nothing in it had been disturbed for years.

"Keep your eyes open" Baz murmured as he stepped farther into the room, wand out. Simon and Penny stayed a few paces behind him, hanging closer to the door. They all jumped when something snapped in the shadows around the room. None of them moved until Baz took a few steps towards it, wand out.

"Baz!" Simon cried, but it was too late. From behind Baz, something lunged out and grabbed his arm, dragging him down and throwing him off balance. With that one, more and more followed, seeming to pour out of the shadows. It took Simon a moment to recognize them, though his mind instantly rejected the thought. They weren't real. They couldn't be real. And yet, here they were. The only word Simon could think of to describe them was zombies. Their bones were poking out from under brown, dried flesh, stretched and warped grotesquely. They shambled almost comically, their eye sockets empty and faded. While they varied in size and stature, they all had the same symbols carved into the stretched and rotted skin on their chests. It was the now familiar pentagram with four wings and two points at the bottom. Simon and Penny took a step back as the grotesque figures flooded the room, pushing them back.

"Baz!" Simon called, pulling out his wand and trying to locate Baz in the crowd of animated corpses.

"Snow! Go! Run! There's too many of them!" A strained voice shouted back.

"We're not leaving you!" Simon called, just seeing Baz's panicked face disappear in a mob of bodies through another door. Simon clenched his teeth and planted his feet.

"Pen, get behind me" he growled.

"W-what?" she squeaked back.

"Get behind me!" he roared, causing Penny to scramble a little ways back into the stair well, the only place without the zombies. He placed a hand to his hip and let the old enchantment wash over him again, the sword of mages materializing in his hand. It started as a tingle running through his bones, which grew into an all-consuming fire, burning with power. He lifted his sword above his head, glowing red. With a swing of the sword, the first rows of zombies were thrown back into the farther ones, crumbling into dust. Swing after swing, every zombie that came into contact with the burning red blade met the same fate, slowly melting together before being blown out of existence. Simon had forgotten what it was like to go off. He couldn't see anything but red, but he could feel everything, sense them. It was like he stopped having a physical form, and was instead just energy. Angry and violent and powerful. While it wasn't exactly something he liked, it did make him feel powerful and graceful, never missing a beat, never missing a step. Never missing an enemy. They fell swiftly and easily, almost effortlessly. Finally, Simon stood alone in the room, panting hard.

"S-Simon?" Penny asked from the doorway. Simon's leg wobbled dangerously, and he fell over, falling out of consciousness.

 **A/N: Yay conflicts n' shit. Hnnng what is wrong with me. Help. And by help I mean review, cuz fuck the world.**


	27. Chapter 27

Baz breathed in the warm, stale air. The dust was choking his nose to the point where he couldn't smell anything. That was the second of his senses to go. First sight, which had gone when they wrangled an old, moldy piece of cloth over his eyes. Now his scent, which might not have been a bad thing. Everything down here had reeked of death. He was being dragged along an old, stone passageway by a dozen of the 'zombies'. Finally, all at once, the very air in the room changed. He didn't feel quite so trapped anymore, and the air was cooler and cleaner. Baz took a deep breath, savoring the feeling just before he was roughly shoved forward, just managing to keep his balance. Smooth, cool hands moved to untie the blindfold, standing out in stark contrast to the rough, spine-chilling touch of the dead. Baz blinked dust out of his eyes before finally casting his cold gaze around the room. It was large and dark. He blinked a few more times, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He glanced around the room, not able to locate whoever had untied the cloth. There were a few wooden benches all facing towards a raised platform on the other side. Up towards the top of the walls opposite Baz were a couple of thin stained glass windows, which allowed for a tiny piece of light to filter in. He heard a light, feminine giggle from above him and he snapped his head up, trying desperately to locate the noise.

"oh, I'm not over there" the same voice called down from the other side of the room. "I'm all the way over here!"

Baz closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. The voice was moving quickly- too quickly- around the room.

"So, are you actually going to come down and talk to me, or just float around like a coward?"

"Coward?" The light voice instantly changed, turning bitter and resentful. A small bubbling sound came from the upper right corner of the room, quickly approaching. He noticed a black cloud rushing towards him. Just before it hit him, it hit the ground and evaporated, leaving an angry woman staring at him. She was short but solid, and had black hair that started extremely thick and curly at the top but as it reached down to her knees, became straight. Her eyes were a pale, sick looking red. With shocking speed and strength, she reached up and smacked Baz across the check, sending him staggering back.

"Is this what you call a coward?" she hissed through her teeth, seemingly materializing in front of him again and punching him hard in his gut, which caused him to fall to his knees, clutching at his mid-section. She lifted her leg and planted the heel of her boot on his shoulder and shoved, making him fall backwards. She climbed onto him and grabbed his shirt collar, pulling on it firmly. "Am I a coward?" she hissed. Baz gritted his teeth and glared, an old fire in his gaze. She smirked and smacked his head back into the stone, resulting in a firm crack. Baz winced, but refused to show any pain further than that. "Am I a coward?" she asked again. Closing his eyes firmly, he slowly shook his head. She smirked again and dropped him, standing and walking to one of the benches. She summoned it to her with a wave of her hands. "Tie him up" she said simply, sitting and crossing her legs. Baz let himself be dragged to the nearest wall and shackled by old rusty chains. Morgana smiled at him the whole time.

"Now, we wait for your little friends. Then, the real fun begins."

Simon...

Simon turned his head. He could've sworn he had heard something.

"Is something wrong?" Baz asked from the other side of their shared room at Watford. Simon looked up at him and smiled.

"No, I just thought I heard something..." he glanced out the window and shook his head. He grinned at Baz, who smirked a little in response.

"Is the stress of finishing your last year finally getting to you?" he asked.

"Not when I have you here" Simon responded, not missing a beat. He glanced up to see Baz turn a faint shade of pink, which for him was a lot. Baz was clearly not used to affectionate comments, and Simon loved saying them just to throw Baz off. If even for just a moment. Baz coughed slightly and went back to his writing. Simon put down his own book and stood, stretching, before crossing to Baz's bed. He kneeled beside it and poked his head over, trying to read Baz's curly writing.

"What class is this for?" he asked, looking at Baz's stressed expression.

"It's for..."

Simon!

Baz was staring at Simon, concern etching its way into his features. He held a hand up to Simons forehead. "Are you sure you're alright, love?" he asked.

Simon nodded vigorously. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well I answered your question and you had no response, just blankly staring into space. And you look pale. I'll go get you some water" Baz stood and strolled out the door. Simon followed a moment later and walked into the front hallway of the house they had bought after they left Watford. Simon stopped for a minute and looked back into the room he had just come out of. It was his and Baz's bedroom. He shook his head. Of course. What was he thinking? he continued on down the hall, glancing into their living room as he passed. He stopped when he noticed something different.

"Hey Baz?" he called out, walking into the room. "When did we get a chalkboard?" he asked.

"A what?" came the muffled response.

Simon blinked. On the board was written one word. A word that had not been there a moment ago. _Dreaming_. Simon walked forwards and grabbed the eraser, running it over the word. Instead of disappearing though, it just changed. _Wake up!_ Simon ran the eraser over it over and over again, beginning to panic. _Simon. Snow. You. Are. Dreaming!_

He whirled when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Snow! What are you doing?"

Simon gaped for a moment and turned, pointing. "It's the chalk...board..."

There was no chalk board. He blinked a few more times before turning back to a confused Baz.

"Nothing..." he trailed. Baz took his hand and led him to their couch, handing him the tall glass of water. After what felt like no time at all, it was night. They had spent the entire day on the couch, watching old re-runs of The Twilight Zone (Simon's favorite TV show). The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it" Simon said, leaving the warmth of Baz's embrace with maximum effort.

He walked to the door and opened it, revealing Penny. Instantly a feeling of dread fell into the pit of his stomach. Penny just looked at him, somber. Simon slowly shook his head.

"Please don't make me go" he whispered.

"Simon, we have to go. You know this isn't real. Baz was taken, remember? After you cast that spell, when we entered the house in the woods. And the zombies came in, and you went o-"

"Stop it!" Simon cried, not wanting to believe it, but at the same time, memories were slipping into his brain. Memories that, deep down, he knew were true. He looked up at Penny, tears in his eyes.

"Please don't make me..." he trailed.

Penny reached out and grabbed him, hugging him tightly.

"Simon, the Baz you left in that room isn't real. But out there, in the real world, is the real Baz. The Baz that needs your help. Without you, he will die. Please, come with me Simon" She pleaded. Simon looked at her and reluctantly, very reluctantly, nodded.

The two of them sat up, panting. Simon leaned over against the wall, trying to force back bile rising in his throat. They were back in the cavern. It was much better lit than it had been before. A small orb of light floated in the center, glowing like a sun. He felt Penny lay a hand on his back, just between his wings.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked.

Simon coughed a few more times and nodded, shakily standing. The two entered the main room, leaving the shelter of the stairs behind. Simon stopped just short of the stairs. A ring of black surrounded his feet. He looked around, black scorch marks covering the walls.

"Pen, did I...?"

She could only nod in response. Simon put his head in his hands.

"But Simon, it wasn't as bad! You were more in control! It wasn't just destruction, it was... something else..."

"But it was still going off" Simon said in a flat tone. Without looking up, he marched across the room to the other door, muttering under his breath. The Sword of Mages appeared in his grasp. He grabbed the door handle and looked back at Penny.

"Are you ready?"

A/N: HHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnngggg. Okay, so the beginning is not my favorite. It's also not my least favorite. But I am proud of how the ending of this chapter came out. Can anyone spot the two references in this chapter? One is the entire structure and theme of Simon's dream, and the other is just a tiny reference inside of Simon's dream. Put them down in the comments if you see them! Also, thanks for 6,000+ views on this story! As of my posting this, it's at 6,453. Holy Sh*t. Why do you guys like this trash that I write? Go read talented people! And sorry for the long ass delays between chapters. I just really haven't found motivation to do much of anything lately. I've just been in a rut, and I've been really down. But I will try to write more. It's past 2:00 am. I need to go to bed.


	28. Chapter 28

Simon and Penny walked through the dark tunnel, the small ball of light floating behind them. Simon had his sword drawn, and was allowing its power to fill him. Finally, they saw another door infront of them and sighed. Simon, growing angry, stomped forward and threw it open. It opened to show yet another tunnel, exactly like the one they were currently. He growled in frustration.

"Are you _kidding me?"_ he hissed, staring into the now familiar dark tunnel. "We've been at this for almost half an hour! Every time we hit a door, it's just the same thing!" he cried, throwing his hands up.

"W-We don't know that for sure, Simo-" Penny started but was cut off as he turned on her.

"Pen, we've passed that same dead rat ten times! It's always in the same place!" Simon pointed at a skeletonized rat lying on the other side of the door from them. Penny blinked. She hadn't noticed it at all, but now that Simon pointed it out, she realized he was right. She ran a hand through her red hair.

"Okay, you're right. Just calm down"

Simon snorted in anger but did as she said, leaning against a wall, crossing his arms, and staring at the ground.

"It's obviously some type of enchantment, but I'm not sure any spell that could do this. Or, I do, but to be so perfectly looping and to loop for so long would take giant amounts of power..." she stated, eyes narrowing. Simon groaned and slid down the wall to a sitting position.

"Great. So not only does this person have Baz" he said his name with longing and pain, enough to snap Penny out of her stupor and look at him sadly. ", but we haven't made any progress, and they're powerful. This is just so great" he said sarcastically. Penny sighed again, crossing to him and patting his thick hair.

"Simon, I know you're frustrated and worried. I am too. But pouting is going to get us no where. If you want to save Baz, we need to keep calm and think our way out" she stated with confidence. Simon blinked the blurriness out of his eyes and nodded, standing again.

"Okay" he whispered, voice sounding strained, like he was just barely keeping in control. Penny smiled and bent down, drawing two parallel lines in the dirt. At the left end she put an O, and at the other, an X. She drew a line from the X to the O, making the point into an arrow.

"So this is what's happening. We're in a time lock. This door," she pointed at the X, "is just the other side of this door" she moved her hand to point at the O. "Every time we open X, we open O and the cycle restarts. So all we have to do is find a way to break the connection between the two doors. If we can do that, we can get out" she stated matter-of-factly, wiping her now dirty finger on her pants leg. The pair stared at the diagram in the dirt for a while, thinking. Silence fell between them. Finally, Simon spoke up.

"Wait, so, technically, right now this tunnel," he gestured around them. "and that one" he pointed out the door to the blackness beyond. "are sharing the same space? So the rat we saw when we came in here and the rat right over there are one and the same?" he questioned, pointing back and forth.

"Yes, that's what the spell does" Penny confirmed, nodding. Simon stood and peered out the door.

"So then, why can't we see ourselves?" he asked. Penny's eyes widened.

"I-I..." she tried to speak, but failed.

"If they are occupying the same space, shouldn't we see ourselves down there? I mean, the tunnels aren't that long, and it's completely straight. We would at least be able to see the light, right?" he asked, but he already knew the answer. Penny nodded slowly from behind him.

"Y-yes" she trailed, still staring at the diagram. Simon stooped and grabbed the stick, swiping away her drawing in the dirt and starting his own.

It looked mostly the same, but it was longer with little lines going across it at equal intervals.

"So it doesn't loop, and these two tunnels don't take up the same space" he stated. Penny nodded in understanding.

"So, instead of it looping, what if it's more like, say, a treadmill?" he questioned. "It's generating in front of us and disappearing behind us. So, it's almost like it's copying and pasting what was behind us and putting it in front of us, while we're walking" he finished, making two arrows to make a looping sign in the dirt.

"Simon, that's genius!" Penny cried, standing enthusiastically. Simon stood also, smiling.

"And what's even better is, if that is the case, I know a counter-spell!"

Simons smile cracked into a huge grin and his eyes regained a small flicker he had lost when he had woken up. _Hope._

"So, what we have to do is cut the 'track'" she used air quotations. She noticed Simon staring at her, confused again. She sighed. "So on a treadmill, if you cut the track, it can't loop anymore. It'll end" she explained. Simon nodded quickly, finally understanding. Penny smiled and lifted her ringed hand high, walking to one of the walls. She gently laid her hand on it, closing her eyes. After a few silent moments, she reached out a hand.

"S-Simon, I know you said you would never do it again, but I'm going to need some of your magic" she said in a soothing voice. Simons hand jerked back.

"Penny, no! I-I'm not even sure if I can anymore, and even if I can, it hurt you last time! I can't, Penny" he stated, voice almost pleading.

"Simon, the spell is really complicated, but I know I can do it. I just need a little bit more magic!"

Simon was still unconvinced, shaking his head. Penny sighed.

"Simon, please. Do it for Baz" she pleaded. At the mention of his name, Simons eyes snapped to hers, and she saw so many things. Worry, fear, pain, and anger. Anger at himself for not being able to protect Baz. Finally, he sighed, breaking. He held up his hand and placed it on Penny's shoulder.

"Fine" he rasped. "But only a little bit"

Penny nodded. "That's all I need"

Penny placed both hands on the wall and closed her eyes, focusing hard. Simon closed his eyes as well, breathing deeply. He allowed himself to push, ever so slightly. Instantly, he felt Penny's shoulders tense underneath his palm, growing warm and red. But instead of crying out, she gritted her teeth and allowed Simons magic to mix with her own. Finally, just when she felt she was about to catch on fire, she let all of the magic out, sending cracks into the old stone. The entire room began to shake, and both Simon and Penny toppled over. The room continued to shake for a few more minutes, causing the door to slam shut. Finally, after one last shudder, it stopped. They shakily climbed to their feet, shaking dust out of hair and clothes.

"Check the door" Penny wheezed after having inhaled some of the dust that had been stirred up. Simon nodded and slowly opened the door, peering around. After a moment he turned back to Penny, smiling wider than he had in days.

"No rat"

A/N: Sorry that there isn't much progress in this chapter! I promise there will be more in the next one! I actually wasn't going to write at all today, but then I got a review. I couldn't not immediately write a chapter after that. So, thank you to the guest using the name 'Snowbazzzzz' for getting me off my ass and making me actually do something productive with my life. Anyways, please please please leave a review if you liked! It really encourages me to write more! Also, I don't have a title picture for this, so if you would like to, draw a picture for this and PM me a link! I'll be sure to look at it. Thanks guys, and consider favorite-ing or following! Thanks for reading!


	29. Chapter 29

After a few more minutes of walking, Simon and Penny came across one last door. This one, instead of being old and rotten and made of wood like the others, was metal and had a light sheen to it. Simon sucked in a breath.

"Are you ready?" he asked without looking back. He just saw Penny nod in the corner of his vision before he reached out with a shaking hand and opened it. Instantly, a wave of chilled air hit them, making their hair stand on end. A girlish chuckle came from inside.

"Well well well, looks like we have guests. Took you long enough" she practically hissed.

Simon took a bold step into the room, sword held forward. His eyes darted about, unable to see anything from the dim light.

" _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..."_ he heard Penny singing behind him. With a small whistling sound, a small spark flew from Penny's finger tip, soaring into the room before stopping, diminishing, and blowing up large enough to illuminate everything. It was roughly the size of a basket ball. Simon was finally able to look around and gasped, almost dropping his sword. His eyes went wide. Baz was chained against the wall. He was sagging downwards, arms being held high above his head by shackles. He looked dead, for lack of a better word. His eyes were half lidded, purple bags underneath them. His mouth hung open, a small trickle of blood falling from its corner. The only sign of life was the shallow, uneven swelling of his chest. Speaking of his chest...

His shirt had been torn open, and was now barely hanging together. It was now stained with brown, dried blood. He had the now familiar cult symbol carved into his chest. It was still dripping blood, the skin around it puffy and red. A multitude of other symbols that made no sense to Simon were cut into the surrounding skin. The girl who had been sitting in the center of the room stood, smiling evilly.

"Baz, looks like we have guests! So horribly rude of you to ignore them!"

Baz's entire body flinched at the sound of her voice, as though the sounds themselves had struck him. Baz weakly lifted his head, staring at the door.

"S-Simon..." he whispered. A cracking sound was heard and Baz's body jolted back, a red hand print across his cheek. Morgana was still standing in the center of the room, hand outstretched, as though she had smacked him. She was glaring daggers at Baz.

"I never said you could talk" she hissed, anger bubbling through her words. Simon went pale. He wasn't sure what to do, or even if he could do anything. Seeing Baz so weak. So defeated. So...broken. If they could do that to Baz, then what could he do? Baz was 10 times stronger than him. Penny, as if sensing his thoughts, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He needs you. You're the only one who can stop her" she whispered to him. Morgana whipped her head around, smiling as though nothing had happened.

"I'm so very sorry for that. Now please, enjoy the show" she raised both of her arms to be perpendicular to her sides and bowed. As if on cue, at least twenty of the zombies came out from whatever shadows were left in the room. Penny and Simon both jumped back, Simon holding his sword up.

"Cover me?" Simon asked, using the same question he had used so many times before while fighting along side Penny.

"Of course"

Simon grinned slightly, charging past the zombies, striking them down when necessary. He ran at Morgana, blade held high. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a long, slim blade. She jumped back just in time to avoid the first swing. The second one came quicker, and she was forced to use her weapon to block the attack. Simon seemed taken aback that the tiny dagger could've so easily stopped the Sword of Mages. He saw her flash a grin just before throwing him off, sending him rolling back. She turned and ran backwards, going deeper into the room. Simon followed, trying desperately to land a hit. While Simon and Morgana were fighting, Penny withdrew a tiny fabric sack and emptied its contents around herself. As the zombies tried to touch her, a shield glowed pink around her. As they climbed over each other, banging angrily against the shied, Penny just stood on the other side, staring at them sadly.

"You poor souls. You were never allowed to fully reach peace. Instead, you became trapped. Trapped in your own decaying bodies by that monster" she said, voice thin. Finally she sighed, raising her hand to the shield.

"I release you"

With purple-ish pings of magic that flew from the gem in her ring to the zombies, their bodies would lock, a small light rising out and up, disappearing. The zombie would fall to the ground, finally and truly dead. It took Penny a while for each of the lights to find the right zombie, only going one at a time. Finally, after the wall of zombies in front of her had finally been reduced to ash, she let down her shield. She had only had enough powder for one, and knew she would be needing it. She carefully glanced around, making sure there were no more. Morgana was completely focused on her battle with Simon. Perfect. Their plan would work. She sprinted to Baz, raising her hand to the chains. After a few moments of muttering, they both broke and Baz fell forward with a slight 'oof'. Morgana, with a sudden burst of strength, threw Simon away once again, turning to them quickly.

"Oh no you don't" she hissed. Electric purple beams shot out of her hand. They arced at Penny, hitting her squarely in the back. She screamed, dropping Baz and falling to her knees, before lying still on the floor. Simon charged her from behind, sword raised high. He swung it down, hard. He could feel every cell in his body burning with energy, powering him. He was so pumped with adrenaline he couldn't feel the cuts that littered his body, oozing blood. The blade swung down and hit... nothing.

"Yoo hoo!" came a voice from Simons left. He groaned and turned left, raising his blade, and getting prepared for yet another attack. Instead of the traditional attack that he had gotten used to, his eyes widened as what appeared to be a small tornado coming after him. He steeled himself at its approach, leaning slightly forward and raising his blade higher. The tornado went through him, stopping so that he was at its center. Simon gasped instantly. It was hard to breathe, and he fell to his knees, panting. He felt a couple of new cuts appear on his body. He wasn't sure what caused them. If it had been something that had gotten caught in the wind, Morgana on the outside causing them, or if the wind itself was so forceful it was tearing his skin. Simons eyes bulged, his gasping becoming more desperate. Black spots appeared in his vision. Just as he was sure he was going to die, he felt a spark. Something inside of him, forcing him on. He closed his eyes and focused. A memory of him and Baz. They were sitting on the floor of their old dorm at Watford. They were lying down on their backs, holding hands. Simon had his other hand resting across his stomach. Baz was tracing the wood grain on the floor. It was raining, even though spring break had just ended. Baz closed his eyes, listening to the rain pounding on the ceiling and to Simon's heartbeat. He inhaled deeply, smiling at Simon's sweet smell. Always a little like cinnamon and magic. He squeezed Simon's hand. He jumped slightly when he felt Simon give him a kiss on the forehead. His eyes shot open and he looked into Simons blue ones. His eyes were practically twinkling.

"Simon Snow, what are you thinking?" asked Baz groggily. Simon grinned like the idiot he was and gave Baz a light kiss on his cheek.

"About you" A peck on the nose. "About this" A small kiss to his chin. "About _you"_ a trail of kisses down his neck. Baz smiled and lifted his hand to brush slowly over Simons bronze curls. For a while the two just stayed like that, staring at each other, the fire in Baz's stomach growing hotter and brighter. When it felt like it was going to consume him, he moved his hand gracefully down to the back of Simon's neck and pulled him down into a long kiss. When they split they were both panting for air. That stupid grin spread across Simons face again and it was so wide and sincere that, oh what the hell, Baz smiled back.

Simons eyes shot open and he forced himself to his feet, standing shakily. He lifted the sword high above his head and swung down with every bit of his strength. Whatever magic that was inside the sword blocked the magic of the wind, and it spun itself out in a moment. Simon gasped, leaning heavily on his blade. Morgana was staring at him with a mix of fury and confusion.

"How did you do that?" she hissed. "That was _magic_. You can't just cut through _magic!"_ she was seething. Simon grinned. He held up his sword.

"Magic blade, bitch" Simon glared. He didn't normally curse, but now he was pissed. He was surprised he wasn't going off. She took a step back and cursed.

Simon took a step forward. He was still catching his breath, but his pants were less desperate. He raised his blade, still trembling slightly on his legs. He suddenly felt the weight of all of the blood he'd lost. His head was pounding, feeling like someone had stabbed him in the forehead. He felt himself fall to his knees once again, the black spots in his vision returning. Morgana lost her angry expression, instead smirking. She slowly stepped forward, whipping out another blade. It was long, sharp, deadly. She stopped just in front of him. Simon looked up, glaring. He growled at her, a feral fear in his wide eyes. She giggled, reaching out and pulling on the top of his head, pulling it back and revealing his long neck. She pressed the tip of the blade to his neck, grin growing.

"You have no clue how long I've been waiting for thi-is!" she suddenly stuttered, low, dangerous purr turning choppy and wheezy. Simon's eyes widened as Morgana looked down, blood dripping from the wound in her chest. She coughed a few more times, knife dropping from her grasp and clattering on the ground. Slowly, she shook and fell to her side, going still. Standing behind her was Baz. His gaze was unfocused. In his hand was one of the other knives Morgana had dropped during their fight. Baz smiled ever so slightly before falling forward. He and Simon collapsed onto the floor together, the both of them too exhausted to do or say anything other than just holding each other, a few tears falling out of their swollen eyes. Just like that, the world faded to darkness around the two.

Simon woke up a few hours later to Penny shaking him. He turned his head away, tightening his hold on Baz. He felt so contempt to just lie there. But Penny continued shaking him. Finally, with a groan, Simon opened his eyes. Penny looked pale, but relieved. She had a small bruise on her forehead, but seemed okay. Simon smiled at her, wanting to cry out of relief. It was done. They were all alive. He felt Baz twitch in his grasp and looked down at the messy head of black hair. He smiled and leaned down, kissing the top of it. Baz groaned, slowly unfolding out of the ball he had curled himself in. Simon slowly pulled his arm out from under Baz and stood shakily, nearly falling. He would have if it hadn't have been for Penny. The two embraced tightly.

"I found Agatha" Penny said. Simon blinked for a moment before remembering why they had come in the first place. He opened his mouth to speak, but Penny interrupted him.

"It's okay. She was tied up and drugged behind an invisible door. I was able to find it with a locator spell. It's okay, I carried her up stairs and left her on one of the couches. She just needs a little air. She was unharmed"

Simon let out a sigh of relief, shoulders sagging. Penny placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go home. We should get Baz patched up"

Simon turned back and stared at Baz's ashen skin. Slowly, his eyes opened and as blue met gray, Simon smiled.

 **A/N: Disclaimer! I do not own the line 'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine'. Credit for that line goes to whoever the author of it is. I'm too lazy to check and I don't want to get sued. So, I'm actually quite proud of this chapter. I'll admit, it's not the best, but it is up there. At least in my opinion. Also, don't worry! This isn't the last chapter. There will be at least one more. Thanks for all of the support! Instead of answering through PM's, I'll just answer the most recent reviews in here.**

 **Snowbazzzzzzz: Thanks so so much! This is so kind and heart warming and wonderful! Also, I noticed you added a few more "Z's" to your name. Lol. So, here's your update! I tried to make this one extra long. I hope you like it!**

 **Guest: (original:** Damn you're a good writer. This is really pulling me in please keep writing **) Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it, and I'll definitely keep writing after this one!**

 **SnowBazIsLife: TWO OF YOUR FRIENDS RECCOMENDED MY STORY!? AGH that's so nice to know! It made me so happy reading your comment! Thanks so so much! I'm so glad you like it! Tell your friends thank you for me! Really, that makes me so, so happy! Thanks!**

 **Guest: (original:** Holy crap Simon didn't find a dead rat  
Gosh idk why I'm finding this funny lol pls pls write soon I need to know what happens **) Your wish is my commend! Here you are, my friend! Hopefully this will quell your desire for knowledge as to what happens for a little while. And, just so you know, the dead rat was supposed to be a sign that they broke the loop. Hope you like this chapter!**

 **Guest: (original:** So good! Update plz . **) Thanks so much! And here's your update! Again, thanks so much!**

 **So again, I need cover art for this, and I can't draw very well. Those of you who follow my DA know this. If any of you would like, please draw something for this story, take a picture, and send it my way! I'll be sure to check it out and reply ASAP! Thanks guys, I love you!**


	30. Chapter 30

Baz took a breath and leaned back, wincing for a second. His chest wounds were healing, but Morgana had cut deep. He still had to be careful moving around, or he could re-open some of the wounds. Plus he had to deal with Simon hanging over him all the time. On second thought, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Simon walked into the room, a large bowl of popcorn in his hands. Baz grinned at him and lifted his arm to the back of the couch. Simon sat down and leaned into Baz's warmth, smiling. Baz and Simon silently watched the movie, which wasn't unusual for them. They found out slightly after their eighth year that they both hate when people talk during movies. Finally, they sat watching the end credits. Neither one wanted to move.  
"Simon?" Baz asked, not moving his gaze from off of the screen. Simon gave a small grunt. Baz smiled at that. "I just wanted to say that..." Baz stopped and trailed off, looking unsure of how to proceed. Simon slowly exhaled. Baz smiled to himself and took a deep breath. "I wanted to say that I don't just love you. That word is used far, far too often. It's become so...Normal. I'm not sure what else I could call it though. I'm not sure if there is anything to call it. I just... I'm not sure I could survive without you." hr chuckled quietly, nervously. "I don't even want to think about that." he took another breath and held it for a moment. "You saved my life, Simon, in more ways than one. Not only when we were younger and met for the first time. Not after the Chimera incident. Not after the dragon, or my mother, or even that night in the forest. And not even a few weeks ago. Those weren't the only times. No, you saved my life by just being there. You made my bleak life happy. Exciting. Colorful. Wonderful. And in pretty much every way you could imagine, you saved me." Baz bit his lip to keep it from quivering. He slowly and gently lowered his face into the top of Simons hair, and hugged him tightly. In his arms, Simon let out a soft snore. Baz smiled, and finally allowed himself to be lulled to sleep through Simons soft, even breaths.  
XXX  
Simon sat bolt up right, panting and sweating. He shakily felt over his chest as though expecting to find a wound.  
"Simon" Baz hissed from his left, sounding tense but relieved.  
"Nightmare" Simon said without looking at him. Baz nodded in understanding. It was a word the two used a lot, and it had only increased after the Morgana incident, as they called it. Simon continued to shake, cold sweat dripping down his brow. Baz carefully pulled himself out of bed and wandered over to the other side, sitting again. He wrapped Simon in a hug and peppered small kisses down his cheek. He felt Simon relax, and he placed his head on Baz's shoulder. Finally, after a few minutes of quiet, Simon spoke.  
"Will they ever stop?"  
Baz pursed his lips. He had been waiting for and dreading that question. He shook his head, nose gently bumping against Simons cheek. "No, love. They've never stopped for me"  
Simon bowed his head and, sensing his distress, Baz gintly lifted his chin.  
"Whatever they're about or however bad they get, I'll always be here for you when you wake up."  
Simon nodded and leaned in for a kiss. After parting, the two simply stared at eachother, taking comfort in eachothers presense.  
XXX  
Penny yawned and prepared to type back a message to Agatha. After going back to America, Agatha had started therapy. As had Penny, but that was beside the point.

 _Gods, that sucks. I'm sorry. I know you don't want to come back here, after everything. But, I was thinking about, if you wanted, I could come and take a holiday there and maybe stay with you?_

She sent the message and waited for a reply while sipping at her tea. After a few seconds, her laptop dinged.

 _Sure, that sounds like a great idea. When were you thinking?_

 _Maybe next month? I just need to finish up a couple of tests at university, but then the rest I can do online. I could bring Simon if you'd like._

 _Okay, that's a good time. No, please don't bring him._

 _Why?_

 _He'll bring Baz. And Baz and I don't exactly... get along._

 _Well, I didn't think about Baz, but I'm sure it'd be fine. Maybe if you two just talk...?_

 _No. Penny, we've never been friends. I had a crush on him for a while, but we were never really friends. And because of everything in general, I doubt we ever will be. And I think we're both fine with that._

 _Okay, I get it. Besides, Simon won't want to leave London. He's not a big fan of traveling. Anyways, it's late over here. I'll talk to you later with more details?_

 _Sure. Goodnight._

 _Goodnight._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
 **A/N: Okay. Wow. So that's it. I know this chapter was short, but I wanted to explain how each of them were dealing and coping with everything that had happened. Baz and Simon are both having more nightmares, but they have each other. Penny, I imagine, has focused on her school work to distract her and has started going to therapy, as has Agatha. I also wanted to adress Baz and Agathas relationship, so I just did that quickly. I still don't know what I want to do for my next big SnowBaz story. anyways, thanks so much for the endless support. Love you guys! ~The Astronomer Brony**


End file.
